


Far From Home

by marmorashadows (orphan_account)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Alpha!Shiro, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Angst, Bottom!Lance, College, Daddy Issues, Depression, Drinking, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fraternities & Sororities, Hazing, M/M, Masturbation, Mentions of Rape, Omega!Keith, Omega!Lance, Oral Sex, Partying, Past Child Abuse, Rape, References to Depression, Sexual Assault, Slow Burn, Smut, Suicidal Thoughts, Weed mention, alpha!Lotor, bottom!Keith, gagging, implied assault, implied rape, top!Shiro, top!lotor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 10:38:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12386478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/marmorashadows
Summary: Keith Kogane is a college freshman at Garrison University with a secret - he's an omega living as an Alpha, but as he starts to indulge in college life, meeting people along the way. It wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't falling for a handsome Alpha named Shiro.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AKA the sheith & lancelot college au no one fucking asked for 
> 
> So, this was not originally an a/b/o fic but then I was talking to my friends and it accidentally became an a/b/o fic - so anyway - here is a quick rundown
> 
> I personally do not like mpreg when the boy omegas have dicks, it just freaks me out SO to counteract that: 
> 
> Alphas: can be male/female, always have dicks with knots   
> Betas: the regular peeps with the usual not giant dicks   
> Omegas: male/female with vaginas essentially 
> 
> That was a horrible explanation, but that's it basically. Keith is living as an Alpha because he is ashamed of being an omega and he wished he was at the least a beta. Lance is obviously proud of being an omega and loves his status. 
> 
> Anyway, here we go. (I will add tags as I go, so please check back frequently!!)

“I’m going to be the first freshman allowed into Gamma Epsilon,” Lance announced as he stared up at the fliers for Greek rushing. “Me, Lance McClain. The  _ first _ freshman. Keith, are you listening to me?”

 

“Half listening,” Keith replied quietly, his eyes glued to his phone. He was busy looking at pictures of his Resident Advisor on Facebook - Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane. Shiro had added him last night and he had been stalking Shiro’s photos ever since.

 

“What are you doing?” Lance asked.

 

“Nothing,” Keith said, closing the app before Lance could catch him in the act. Shiro had many photos with Lotor Zarkon and Keith wondered if they were dating. Lance would have a  _ field _ _day_ with that.

 

“Are you looking at Shiro again?” Lance asked, which made Keith’s eyes widen slightly.

 

“I wasn’t looking at Shiro-.”

 

“You totally were- I mean, he’s hot, don’t get me wrong,” Lance said, “But, uh, pretty sure he’s  _ way _ out of your league. But enough about you, more about me. The most awesome freshman to ever cross this campus.  _ I _ am going to be a part of Gamma Epsilon if it’s the last thing I do.”

 

“It probably  _ will _ be the last thing you do,” Keith pointed out as he tucked his phone into his back pocket.

  
  


“What makes you say that?”

 

“Gamma Epsilon is run by  _ Lotor _ , and they don’t call him the  _ Prince _ for nothing,” Keith said. He’d met Lotor a few nights ago when he’d happened to catch Shiro outside of the dormitory talking to his old friend. He’d been an interesting read.

 

“I  _ know _ it’s run by Lotor and Lotor is going to  _ love  _ me, duh,” Lance said with fake confidence. “I mean, everyone else does.”

 

Keith snorted as he started to head into the library. Maybe once inside, Lance would shut up. They passed through the cafe and headed for the stairs that would take them to the second floor.

 

“Right?” Lance was whispering loudly as they walked.

 

“Right, what?”

 

“Everyone loves me.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that.” Keith scanned the area for tables and froze. Sitting at a table in front of one of the large windows was Shiro and opposite him was Lotor. They were having a casual conversation from the looks of it, and Shiro had a large textbook laid out flat in front of him. The way the sun came in behind Shiro, the light silhouetted him in a halo. The sight made Keith’s heart melt.

 

“Now’s my chance,” Lance said, starting to walk toward them, but Keith snatched the back of Lance’s jacket. “Hey!”

 

“ _ Don’t _ . You’re going to make an ass of yourself,” Keith said. “You’re not as cool as you think you are, Lance.”

 

Lance’s eyes narrowed and he snatched his coat back. “Well, squeeze me buttercup, but I’ll have you know, Shiro thinks i’m  _ super _ cool. He even said so, so  _ excuse _ me.” Lance flounced off toward Shiro’s table and Keith could feel himself dying inside.

 

God, this was going to be a disaster.

 

“Hey there,” Lance said as he approached Shiro’s and Lotor’s table. Keith watched from a distance, wondering if someone could die from secondhand embarrassment.

 

“Hello Lance,” Shiro greeted with a soft smile. “Have you met Lotor?”

 

Lance immediately turned to face Lotor and smiled one of his goofy grins. “I’m Lance McClain, most awesome freshman  _ever_. I’m going to rush this year and get into Gamma Epsilon”

 

Lotor looked Lance over and seemed disinterested. “Freshman don’t make the cut,” he replied simply. “Not for Gamma Epsilon at least, you could try Alpha Omega.” He waved a hand and flicked his long white hair back over his shoulder.

 

“Hey,” Shiro said defensively. “That’s my fraternity and it’s a good one.”

 

“I didn’t say it wasn’t,” Lotor replied. “It’s just not Gamma Epsilon.”

 

Lotor wasn’t  _ wrong _ . Alpha Omega was by far the most rag-tag group of students formed into a fraternity that Garrison University had to date, but Keith had been eyeing the fraternity because Shiro was technically President. Plus, it was one of the only fraternities on campus where you didn’t have to disclose your status - alpha, beta, omega, it was all welcome.

 

He wasn’t sure Gamma Epsilon had the same policy and he wasn’t sure if Lance cared he presented strongly as an omega.

 

“Lance, you’re welcome to rush, I’m sure a fraternity will be happy to admit you,” Shiro said. “Even if Gamma Epsilon is particular in who they admit.”

 

Lance looked between Lotor and Shiro again before he settled on Lotor. “I’m a theater major, just like you. I can be  _ just _ as extra as necessary.”

 

Keith slid his hand over his face and groaned. “Lance,” he said, finally intercepting. “C’mon, let’s go do our homework.”

 

“Um, Keith, this is  _ Lotor _ and he’s very busy and I’m talking to him, so  _ don’t _ interrupt. Not cool,” Lance whispered, pushing Keith back. “Ignore him, I’m sure  _ he’s _ not cool enough for Gamma Epsilon, but  _ I _ am.”

 

Keith was tempted to leave Lance to the sharks, but he grabbed the back of his jacket and dragged him away instead. “Do you have any idea how much of a moron you are?”

 

“Keith! I was  _ bonding _ with Lotor,” Lance protested as he was dragged off to the other side of the library.

 

“No, you were embarrassing yourself. And me.” Keith shoved Lance into a chair and sat down across from him. “Now shut up and write your paper on  _ The Telltale Heart _ .”

 

Lance glowered over at Keith, his eyes narrowed, and lips drawn back as he sneered. “You’re just mad because your  _ boyfriend _ was nice to me.”

 

“He’s  _ not _ my boyfriend.” Keith slammed his hands down on the table, completely flustered by Lance’s insinuations. “I don’t even like him, okay? I just think he’s a cool guy. He studies the same thing I do, it’s not that fucking deep, Lance. You’re the one with a hard-on for him.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes and flipped his book open. “That’s because Shiro is  _ hot _ .”

 

Keith bristled at Lance’s admission, but attempted to focus on his own homework instead. Of course Lance thought Shiro was attractive, he was certain everyone in the world found Shiro attractive. He was two-hundred pounds of pure muscle with the dark dreamy eyes of a romance novel character. Not to mention he was  _ nice _ , helpful, and he headed a strong, if not underrated, fraternity on campus. And he was big on omega rights, which Keith secretly appreciated.

  
  


“Do you think he’s dating Lotor?” Keith asked, leaning over so he could watch Lotor and Shiro continue their conversation. They seemed close, but Keith wasn’t sure  _ how _ close.

 

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Alphas don’t date other alphas… You should know that, aren’t  _ you _ an alpha?”

 

“Some alphas date other alphas,” Keith said, glad that Lance still believed his ruse. He was on an illegal regimen of Heat suppressants. He took so many that he never had a Heat and his scent was altered by his body chemistry changing.

 

“Yeah, well, I doubt they’re together,” Lance replied. “Everyone knows Lotor is kind of a player.”

 

“And yet you want to impress him,” Keith said. “You do know there aren’t any omegas in Gamma Epsilon, right?”

 

“That could change!” Lance huffed, closing his book angrily. “There are new rules coming to Greek Life, I heard about it at a rally. Every fraternity on campus has to have at  _ least  _ one omega now. It’s the rules. I could be the first omega  _ and _ freshman. In fact, I’m going to be.”

 

Keith sighed, slowly looking away from Shiro and Lotor to stare blankly at his algebra. For his sake, he hoped Lance was right, or he’d have to deal with a mopey Lance until the end of the year. “I hope you’re right,” he said.

 

“Don’t worry. I am. I just have to keep impressing Lotor.”

 

“You might want to work on that, then,” Keith said, which made Lance kick him under the table. “Ow!”

 

“Don’t be rude, Debbie Downer.”

 

“Forget this. I can’t focus.” Keith shoved his book back into his backpack and stood to storm out of the library, pulling his headphones on as he stomped. Turning up the music so loud he could no longer hear the outside world, Keith started for a path back to their dormitory. It was across from the student center and was supposed to be for honors students, but Keith wasn’t sure how Lance had gotten in. He’d made a joke that Lance must have flew under the radar, but Lance hadn’t found it too amusing.

 

If Lance did manage to impress Lotor, maybe that would be a good thing for him after all. It would mean having to see less of Lance and not having to deal with his obnoxious behavior. Plus, it would leave his room empty most of the time, and not full of Lance and his friends. More alone time, meant more time he could spend relaxed instead of on edge. Anytime Lance brought his friends over, Keith felt he had to be extra careful not to reveal his true status. Lance was too oblivious to realize he was also an omega, but Pidge was sharp and Hunk paid more attention than he let on.

 

His mind wandered back to Shiro and he still wondered if Shiro and Lotor were dating or if they’d dated in the past. They had tons of photos together, they were always doing things together, and Lotor seemed to admire Shiro in a way he didn’t admire other people.

 

“Keith!”

 

Keith startled when someone grabbed his shoulder and he was turned around sharply. Automatically, Keith reached for a knife he always had on his person, but relaxed when he saw it was just Shiro. “Shiro,” he said, removing one headphone. “You startled me.”

 

“Sorry,” Shiro said with an embarrassed smile. “I just wanted to check on you, you seemed upset when I saw you leave the library. Are you okay?”

 

Keith’s eyes wandered down from Shiro’s eyes to his neck, to his Adam’s apple, and finally to his chest. The guy didn’t wear tight enough clothes in Keith’s opinion, but the Garrison University t-shirt still looked tight across his chest. He was built like a brick house. “I’m fine,” he lied. “Just had a fight with Lance, that’s all.”

 

“Ah, are you two still having trouble getting along?” Shiro asked, sounding truly concerned. Since Shiro was their RA, Keith wasn’t surprised by the genuine concern, but it did make him feel warm inside.

 

“We’re just different,” Keith replied with a shrug. “Maybe it’s not good for an alpha and omega to room together.”

 

“Do you want another room?” Shiro asked, as they walked toward the dorm together. “I mean, I think the two of you just need some adjusting is all, and with the new omega laws, we have to room everyone together versus segregated.”

 

“I know,” Keith said. He supposed it was better he was in a room with Lance - Lance couldn’t sexually assault him if he found out Keith’s truth. “It’s fine. We just bicker, that’s all.”

 

“Bickering is fine,” Shiro said, opening the door for Keith. “It’s natural, especially when there are status differences. Are you adjusting well to university life?”

 

“I’m fine,” Keith said again. “I like my classes.”

 

“Good.” Shiro clapped his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Are you going to rush with Lance?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe,” Keith said with a shrug. “I’m not really into the whole Greek Life thing.”

 

“It’s a great way to make friends,” Shiro said. “It’s also great for networking and finding social activities to do. Now, Alpha Omega isn’t the most  _ popular _ fraternity, but we do have a Greek house, which you could live in if you wanted to next year, and we’re not exclusionary.”

 

“I know, I’m interested in Alpha Omega,” Keith said, looking over at Shiro as they rode up to the fifth floor.

 

“Good,” Shiro said with a fond smile. “I have to do some laundry, but I’ll see you around?”

 

Keith nodded. “See you around, Shiro.” Keith watched Shiro disappear behind his door with an inner sigh. God, Lance was  _ so  _ fucking right.   
  


 

* * *

 

 

“ _ Keith _ ,” Lance complained. “I want to  _ die _ .”

Keith glanced up from his computer as Lance came into the room and melted forward, lying face first on the floor. He rolled his eyes at Lance’s dramatics. “What did you do now?”

 

“I blew it,” Lance whined. “I totally  _ blew _ it.”

 

“Blew what? Hopefully not someone with herpes.”

 

Lance slowly looked up at him and stared, blinking a few times. “Did you just crack a joke?”

 

“Lance, I have to write a paper, so can you please get to the point of your fit?” Keith asked, pushing his shaggy hair back.

 

Lance crawled forward and dragged himself onto their futon which was in front of the television. “I went to the student center,” he said pathetically. “And then Lotor was there and… I…. went up to him… and I told him that I would do  _ anything _ to get into Gamma Epsilon.”

 

Keith raised his eyebrows. “And?”

 

“And he told me that if I stood on a table and sang  _ I Kissed a Girl _ but, you know,  _ I Kissed an Alpha _ , that I’d get in….”

 

“You didn’t.”

 

“I did,” Lance said with a sigh. “Which was fine, I was  _ great _ … My rendition? Perfect. My voice? Fantastic. My dance moves? Also great…. That is until I accidentally kicked a thing of mashed potatoes into Lotor's face.”

 

Keith blinked a few times and tried not to start laughing. “Wow,” he said. “So, let me guess, he wants you to fuck yourself and die?”

 

“Pretty much.” Lance buried his face in the futon. “Just kill me.” But it came out like  _ juphfllmll. _

 

Keith shook his head and returned to his laptop. “You’re fucking stupid.”

 

Lance flipped him off weakly. “What am I going to do now?”

 

“You’re going to move on with your life and realize you’ll probably not be able to get into Gamma Epsilon after that stunt.” Keith shrugged as he continued typing up his paper.

 

“But I  _ have _ to.”

 

“Why? Why do you have to?” Keith sighed, putting his laptop aside. Clearly, his paper wasn’t being written until later when Lance was either playing video games or asleep.

 

“Because four generations of McClain’s have been in Gamma Epsilon, that’s why.” Lance sighed, trailing his fingers along the carpet where his arm dangled off of the futon. “My dad, my grandpa, my great-grandpa and my great-great-grandpa - they were  _ all _ in this fraternity and I can’t let them down. Of course, I’m the first… male omega in the family, but still, I could get in. I  _ can _ .”

 

Part of Keith felt relieved he had no family to prove himself to and he had no family standards or legacies to live up to. He could just be Keith - he could be anything he wanted to be, including an alpha, without his family getting in the way. The other part of Keith was jealous that Lance had such a strong family lineage and he always talked about his family often, so he knew Lance had to be close to them. He wanted someone in his life that he felt close to and could lean on in hard times. The only person he had was himself and Keith knew he wasn’t very liable.

 

“Lance.”

 

“What?” Lance asked, the picture of misery.

 

“You’ll get in.”

 

Lance’s eyes opened and he glanced over at Keith suspiciously. “Are you just saying that to shut me up?”

 

“No. I mean it. You’ll get in.”

 

“What makes you think so?”

 

“Because you’ll work hard to prove you deserve to get in, more than anyone. Don’t let tonight deter you, just keep working hard. Patience yields focus.” He learned that from Shiro.

 

Lance nodded. “Okay, Yoda Keith, thanks.”

 

“Can I get back to writing my paper now?” Keith asked.

 

“Sure. Whatever… Nerd.”

 

“I’m going to launch mashed potatoes at you,” Keith muttered as he finally returned to writing his paper. He wanted to finish it  _ tonight _ so he had the whole weekend free. Shiro spent his weekends in the gym, and Keith was positive that was where he’d be spending his too.

 

The room stayed silent, which Keith was grateful for. He managed to finish his paper, read it over, and email it to his professor once Lance shut up. Once the paper was done, Keith pulled up Shiro’s Facebook profile to look over his photos again. There was no mention of family just a birthdate, February 29th, and no relationship status other than  _ Single _ .

 

Keith bit his lower lip and slowly scrolled through every photo of Shiro he could find. Most them were taken by other people, with Shiro having fun with his friends on campus. Photos of him posing with Alpha Omega members, photos of Shiro participating in on campus events like Pride and National Women’s Day and even a photo of him as the school mascot. There were photos of Shiro dressed with his black belt in Karate, videos of him doing martial arts (which was almost enough to make Keith  _ wet _ ), and photo upon photo of him and Lotor.

 

“Keith,” Lance said after a while.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you really think I can make it into Gamma Epsilon?”

 

Keith looked over at Lance who was looking truly miserable and downtrodden. In Keith’s opinion, getting hung up on some Greek fraternity was pointless, but he supposed if he didn’t get into Alpha Omega, he’d be pretty upset, too. “I think you have a chance, Lance, I really do.”

 

Lance smiled softly. “Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Lance sat up finally, going to climb onto his top of the bunkbed. “You’re looking at Shiro again.”

 

“I will fucking kick you  _ all _ night,” Keith snapped as he felt his face turn bright red, trying to hide his screen from Lance as he went on top of the bed.

 

Once Lance was out of sight, Keith returned to looking at Shiro’s photos, hyperfocused on one that featured shirtless Shiro coming out of a pool at a party.  _ Holy shit _ ...

 

Keith bit his lip and slowly dipped his hand down the front of his sweatpants to rub himself over his boxers. He hardly ever masturbated, in fact he never did since he hated his body so deeply, but Shiro was  _ too _ hot to not try to rub a quick one out. Lance was snoring overhead, so Keith used the cloth of his underwear to create quick friction, tongue hanging out his mouth as he looked at Shiro’s photo.

 

Rippling abs, drops of water, the long slung swim trunks. God, it was too much.

 

Keith came hard, his legs jerking as he rocked his hips forward desperately for more, but he had to stop before Lance woke up and became suspicious. Omega scent filled his nose and for a moment, he panicked, leaning over to the window to open it a few cracks. Lance  _ couldn’t _ know he was an omega. No one could know, but especially not Lance. If Lance found out, the rest of the campus would find out, because Lance had no idea when and how to shut up.

 

Lying back on his bed, Keith buried his body under two blankets to hide from shame and the chilly air. Setting his phone down on the windowsill, Keith shut his eyes, hugged his pillow, and begged the nightmares to stay away.

 

 

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Patience yields focus,” Keith whispered, his eyes shut as he focused on lifting the weight over his head. “Patience yields focus.” 

 

Shiro had taught him that. 

 

The gym was empty due to it being five a.m. on a Saturday morning, but that was how Keith liked it. No one to bother him and not one around to interrupt his workout. Keith managed to lift the next heaviest weight over his head once, before having to set it down with a gasp. He’d managed to lift the hundred pound barbell, which was better than he’d done the last time he’d worked out. 

 

“Not bad.” 

 

Keith spun around, his heart flying in his chest. Shiro was standing in the gym now, leaning against the counter of the front desk casually as if he’d always meant to be there. “Shiro- you scared me.  _ Stop _ that.” 

 

Shiro chuckled and walked up to Keith with a relaxed swagger that only guys who worked out as much as Shiro could obtain. “I’m impressed. I saw you in here last week, you could hardly lift the fifty over your head and now you managed to get the hundred? That’s great, Keith.” 

 

Keith rolled his shoulders, trying to pretend he wasn’t in as much pain as he actually was currently. “I’ve been practicing a lot during the week.” 

 

“That’s good.” Shiro lifted the barbell up easily, as if it weighed nothing at all, and set it down out of the way. “Soon, you’ll be able to pick it up like it weighs nothing.” 

 

Keith licked his lips subconsciously, his eyes following Shiro's every move. A guy shouldn’t be as ripped as Shiro, it was ridiculous, potentially illegal in a few states. “Says the guy who shreds at the gym like it’s nothing at all.” 

 

Shiro ran a hand along the back of his neck. “Ah, I’m… I’m no big deal,” he said, his face turning pink. 

“So, you like to workout early, too?” 

 

Keith nodded. “Patience yields focus, like you taught me,” he said, puffing out his chest a little. 

 

“That must have really stuck with you, hm?” 

 

“Yeah… A lot of the things you say stick with me.” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Keith wished he could gobble them up again, because the admission made him turn as red as the fire extinguisher. “I just- I mean- you have a lot of good stuff to-.” 

 

Keith began to back up, not paying attention to what he was doing since Shiro turned him into a flustered mess. The back of his foot caught on a barbell and he could feel himself falling, unable to stop it from happening. 

 

“Keith, be careful!” Shiro reached to help him, trying to prevent him from falling onto his ass, but neither of them were quick or dexterous enough to prevent it. 

 

Keith let out an  _ oompf _ as he fell onto his butt, banging his head on a workout machine. “Ow,” he whispered, touching the back of his head and wincing at the tender spot. 

 

Work out machine: 1

Keith attempting to impress Shiro: 0

 

“Keith, Keith, are you okay?” Shiro asked, kneeling on the floor with him after he’d fallen, looking more concerned than was probably necessary. 

 

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “Hit my head.” 

 

“We should get you to the nurse’s office then, come on-.” 

 

“Shiro, I’m fine. It’s just a bump.” 

 

Shiro's expression was the face of someone who was completely panicked, as if he’d hurt himself instead of Keith being the one in pain. “It could be a concussion. I insist on taking you to the nurse’s office. Come on.” 

  
“Shiro, they’re not even  _ open _ ,” Keith pointed out. Using the gym equipment as leverage, Keith pushed himself slowly to his feet. He noted that Shiro touched his shoulder and opposite arm to make sure he didn’t fall again. Wherever Shiro touched, Keith felt hot and hyper-aware.  _ Don’t touch me, don’t touch me- don’t stop touching me, God.  _

 

“Oh- Right.” Shiro pulled up a bench, swinging it around and making Keith sit down. “How many fingers am I holding up?” 

 

“None,” Keith replied sarcastically, as he’d beat Shiro to the punchline. 

 

Shiro gave him a  _ look _ before holding up three fingers. “How many?” 

 

“Shiro-.” 

 

“Keith. How many?” 

 

Keith sighed. Shiro had turned into a worried soccer mom. “Three.” 

 

“What year is it?” 

 

“2017, Dr. Shirogane, do you have any other questions you’d like me to answer? What’s my favorite color maybe or do I smoke, drink, and have sex?” 

 

Shiro's reddened face only darkened. “You’re not taking this seriously.” 

 

“Neither are  _ you _ . I hardly hit my head, I’m  _ fine _ . I”m not dizzy. I’ve been concussed before, I know what it feels like.” Keith looked up at Shiro, who still had his brows knitted in worry. Maybe that was what happened when someone turned twenty-five - they automatically became a worried soccer mom. It was sort of endearing. 

 

Shiro sighed, crossing his arms. “Okay, but no more lifting or working out. You’re done for the day.” 

 

“Yes, Mom.” 

 

Shiro glanced through the windows of the gym. “The student center is open for breakfast, do you want to eat?” 

 

“I could eat,” Keith said with a shrug. 

 

“Let’s go eat.” 

 

“You didn’t even work out.” 

 

Shiro shrugged. “I can work out later.” Shiro walked over to lift up his workout bag and he grabbed Keith’s too before Keith could even stand up. “Come on, let’s get upstairs while it’s still hot.” 

 

Keith stood slowly, taking a few steps to make sure he was steady, before chasing after Shiro. The morning was chilly and Shiro had stolen the bag his hoodie was currently inside. Probably to prevent him from bending over and passing out, but Keith was going to pretend it was because Shiro wanted to steal his jacket. 

 

“I really am okay, Shiro,” Keith said quietly as they walked toward the back of the student center. There were some kids inside already decorating for Rush Week. Lance was going to want to rush and he was probably going to make Keith do it, too. “Is your fraternity doing anything fun for Rush Week?”

 

Shiro turned a smile on him, more relaxed now that he believed Keith was fine. “Yes. Tonight we’re throwing a pizza party, you should come.” 

 

“I like pizza.”

 

“Good. I think having you there will be fun,” Shiro said, turning red all over again and almost walking into a pole. 

  
“Shiro!” Keith grabbed his arm to prevent him from breaking his nose. “Watch where you’re going, man.” He laughed and noticed how Shiro's eyes lit up when he did. “You’ll ruin that perfect model face you have going on.” 

 

“I’m not perfect.” Shiro headed up the steps, still carrying both bags, and even offering to use one of his meal swipes for Keith. “On me,” he said, swiping for two without asking. 

 

It was Keith’s turn to redden in the face as he followed Shiro to a table, still freezing. They had yet to turn the heat on in any campus building, so as soon as Shiro set the bags down, Keith tore his open to remove his ratty hoodie. He’d had it for years and had never gotten rid of it. Plus, clothes were expensive and he didn’t have time or money to buy anything new. 

 

“Where’s Lance this morning?” Shiro asked, waiting for Keith to cover up. 

 

“Sleeping,” Keith said. “He’s a strong believer in  _ beauty sleep _ .” Keith rolled his eyes. “I told him he’d have to sleep the next 7200 years straight if he wanted to be beautiful.” 

 

Shiro's face struggled to stay serious, his lips twitching with the fight to keep from laughing. “Keith, that- that wasn’t nice of you to say to Lance.” 

 

Keith smirked. “I know, but it was funny.” 

 

Shiro turned away sharply and Keith smirked as he could see his shoulders shaking a little. Shiro wanted to laugh and as an RA he had to keep his cool, but Keith knew he was secretly dying. Eventually, Shiro turned back around, his composure back in place. “You should apologize to him later.” 

 

“Tough chance.” Keith ducked in front of Shiro to snatch up the last cream filled donut. “He wants to rush so badly, that’s all he talks about lately. He’s  _ obsessed _ with getting into Gamma Epsilon.” 

 

“Gamma Epsilon is a good fraternity,” Shiro said, picking up a chocolate donut to go with his plate of health food. “Lotor taking over was a good choice, he’s actually very active on campus.” 

 

“Gamma Epsilon is for overachievers,” Keith chided. “Plus, it’s all about  _ social status _ . No omegas, no freshman.” 

 

“Well, this year, all fraternities must admit at least  _ one _ omega and  _ one _ freshman. It’s part of the new rules the Student Greek Life Council put forth this year. I think it’s smart, it helps everyone feel included.” 

 

They walked back to their table together, Keith on Shiro's heels. The cafeteria was mostly empty, save for a few workout early birds like them, and a couple of other students who looked as if they hadn’t slept in weeks anyway. Keith liked the privacy the morning offered; Shiro was usually surrounded by people, so it was nice to get him alone for once. 

 

“Maybe,” Keith said. 

 

“Are you and Lance getting along better at all?” 

 

“Sort of.” 

 

“I think you guys are progressing nicely,” Shiro said. “I mean, I haven’t been to your room since you moved in, but I don’t hear much arguing at night and that’s good. Plus, I know Lance has friends over often and you haven’t made any complaints about them.” 

 

Keith shrugged, picking at his oatmeal. He’d only gotten some because he’d seen Shiro get a bowl. “His friends are nice,” he replied. 

 

“Good.” 

 

Keith picked at his food some more, tempted to ask Shiro personal questions, wanting to get to know him better. He went to ask Shiro about his relationship status, when Lotor appeared at the top of the steps, and Keith knew they were spotted. 

  
“Shiro,” Lotor said as he walked up to them. “Not surprised to see you here bright and early. Steal all of the donuts?” 

 

“Nah,” Shiro said. “I left you a couple.” 

 

Lotor laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Rushing tonight?” 

 

“Of course. You?” 

 

“Oh, yes. We’re having a little meet and greet at the house. It’ll be fun.” 

 

Shiro snorted. “Let me guess, by meet and greet, do you mean wild and insane party?” 

 

Lotor gasped, pressing his hand to his chest in feign offense. “Shiro, who do you think I am?” 

 

Keith grinned into his eggs, eating them slowly. They all knew Gamma Epsilon threw the wildest parties out of every fraternity on campus. 

 

“I think you’re trying to butter up the Council so you don’t pay a whopping fine and become disbanded for  _ hazing _ ,” Shiro said. “Which is now illegal on campus, if you forgot.” 

 

Lotor smirked a little. “I wouldn’t dare,” he said. “Well, I’ll leave you two to your breakfast. I’ll see you tonight, Kogane.” 

 

Keith startled a little, watching Lotor leave. “Tonight? For what?” 

 

“He probably thinks you’re going to rush,” Shiro said. 

 

“Why would he think that?!” 

 

“Maybe because he knows Lance is and he just thinks you’ll be doing it with him…. Are you?” 

 

“Am I what?” 

 

“Going to rush for Gamma Epsilon? I wouldn’t blame you, if you did, I just hope you can squeeze Alpha Omega’s pizza party in. It won’t be nearly as glamorous as whatever event Lotor is planning… but… it’d be nice to have you there.” Shiro shrugged, picking at his food shyly. 

 

“I told you I was going,” Keith reminded him. “I’ll be at the pizza party for sure, Shiro. I wouldn’t miss it.” 

 

Shiro smiled a bit. “Good. Try to bring Lance, I think he’ll like Alpha Omega, too, if he gives us a shot.” 

 

“I will.” 

 

Shiro nodded, shoveling the last of his breakfast away. “I’ve got to get back to the dormitory. There’s an RA meeting in about an hour. I’ll see you tonight?” 

 

Keith nodded, hating that Shiro was always  _ going _ . He wanted Shiro to stay. “Yeah,” he said, feeling disappointed. “See you tonight, Shiro.” 

 

“Great.” Shiro waved and grabbed his bag, leaving Keith’s alone this time as he left. 

 

Keith sighed, pushing his plate away. More than anything, he wanted Shiro to stop vanishing and just hang out with him for more than fifteen minutes.  _ Tonight _ .  _ Tonight, I’ll make him talk to me _ .    
  


* * *

 

 

“ _ Ugh _ , Keith,  _ c’mon _ , how many times are you going to change?” 

 

Keith ignored Lance’s complaints as he stood in their tiny bathroom, trying to see if he could make his hair behave by slicking it back. The problem with the fluff was it never wanted to  _ stop _ being floofy.

 

“We’re going to be late!” Lance yelled through the door. “I put on seven pounds of foundation faster than you changed your ratty jeans and black t-shirts.” 

 

Keith flinched a little at Lance’s insults, finally deciding to give up, and just go as he currently looked, which was… the usual Keith. He didn’t have money like Lance did, so he didn’t have money or time to update his wardrobe, and his hair was never not a mess. It usually didn’t bother him, but he wanted to make Shiro  _ pause _ to at least talk to him for a few minutes longer than the usual five he pried out of him. 

 

“Wow, surprise, surprise,” Lance said sarcastically as Keith opened the door. “Ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. Could have shocked me.” 

 

“Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?” Keith asked, as he pulled on his jacket, feeling self conscious. 

 

Lance looked fantastic - tight jeans, a loose flowy shirt that hit his midriff  _ just _ right, it showed off bits of skin as he walked, and true to form, Lance had “put his face on”, as he’d called it when Keith had found him sitting in front of the mirror putting on makeup. Hair well styled and looking confident, Lance headed for the door, pulling on a pink fur jacket. 

 

“Wow, Lance, looking good,” came Shiro's voice down the hall. 

 

Keith felt his jaw clench when Shiro complimented Lance on his good looks. “Why aren’t you at the frat house?” Keith asked, hoping to distract Shiro from checking out Lance further. The only problem with that, was Lance exuded being an omega, practically bathing in temptation, and Shiro was only one Alpha. 

 

“I’m headed there now. You two going to Gamma Epsilon first?” Shiro asked. 

 

“Yep,” Lance said, the same time Keith said, “No.” 

 

Lance turned on him sharply, looking ready to throw a fit, his eye twitching, a vein faintly showing in his forehead. “Keith, we’re  _ going _ to rush with Gamma Epsilon first. We talked about this. When we’re done, we’ll go to the pizza party.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Lance.” 

 

“Well, I’ll see you guys later then. Have fun! And be  _ safe _ .” Shiro headed out with some of the other members of Alpha Omega, while Keith trudged after Lance, feeling miserable. 

 

Lance strutted down the street with his head high and his hips out. Keith thought he looked ridiculous, but Alphas were eager to whistle at him and offer up their Knots. It made Keith’s skin crawl, and he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head to hide his face. Lance, of course, ate up the attention like it was chocolate. 

 

“You do realize, you’re gross,” Keith hissed to Lance as they arrived onto Gamma Epsilon’s lawn. 

 

The house was loud and full of people, the music making the entire section of campus thrum. There were guys out front drinking, chugging a keg and doing handstands already. Keith sighed, hoping Lance didn’t get plastered. He didn’t want to deal with drunk Lance, since sober Lance was already hard enough to deal with on a daily basis. 

 

“Lance.” 

 

“What?” Lance asked, looking back at him. 

 

“Promise me, you won’t get plastered. I’m not dealing with you being drunk,” Keith said, giving him a sharp warning look. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yes,  _ Mother _ ,” Lance said, squeezing through the crowd, and quickly disappearing. 

 

Keith huffed, folding his arms across his chest as a protective and defensive maneuver. More than anything, he wanted to leave and go to Shiro's pizza party, but he was on babysitting duty. If Lance became wasted, then he had to take care of him, since that was his job as Lance’s roommate, no matter how unappealing the job sounded. 

 

Keith wandered through the crowd, trying to keep an eye on Lance but also blend in. He didn’t  _ really  _ want to rush. The faster he became a wall ornament, the less likely he’d receive a bid. 

 

The Gamma Epsilon House was huge but it felt cramped due to the amount of people inside. Lance was near the drink table, accepting something in a red cup. Keith sighed and leaned against the wall behind him. There were people making out everywhere, people talking, dancing, drinking, and sucking up to Lotor's fraternity members. From the way Lance pounded back his drink, he was about to do all of that very quickly. 

 

“Ah, the mysterious Keith.”

 

Keith glanced over to see Lotor walking up to him with a casual grin. Keith raised an eyebrow at Lotor's skin tight all black outfit, looking dapper and yet trashy all at once.

 

“Is Hot Topic in style again?” Keith asked snorting.

 

Lotor glanced down at his outfit and then laughed. “He’s funny, I like that.”

 

“The guy you want to talk to is over there.” Keith pointed to Lance. “He’s the one who wants to pledge here.”

 

Lotor looked over at Lance, who was accepting a second drink now. “And you don’t?”

 

“Not particularly.”

 

“Then why are you here?”

 

Keith gestured at Lance as if that would be a blanket explanation. 

 

“I see. And where  _ do  _ you wish to pledge?”

 

“Alpha Omega.”

 

Lotor nodded in understanding. “You know, it’s a good fraternity, but Alpha Omega will not take you anywhere. Gamma Epsilon has connections all over the globe, and we do a lot for this university. Pledge with us and you’d be set for life.”

 

Keith snorted at Lotor's pitch. He wasn’t impressed. “I’ll pass.”

 

“Suit yourself, Keith, but I think you belong here and not in Alpha Omega. You could make something of yourself here. Think on it.” Lotor walked away, leaving Keith to pout against the wall alone. 

 

He had no idea why Lotor wanted him to join so badly, but it didn’t make sense in Keith’s mind. Plus, he wasn’t ready to disclose his true status to anyone, especially Lotor. 

 

Lance walked up to him, his jaw slack. “Were you talking to  _ Lotor _ ?” 

 

“He was talking to me,” Keith replied sharply. 

 

Lance stammered, unable to form words. “You- you got him to talk to you and I can’t even get him to  _ look _ at me again. I hate you.”

 

Keith snorted. “I put in a good word for you, don’t worry.”

 

Lance blinked a few times, seeming suspicious. “You did? Why?”

 

“Because you want this more than anyone. He should know that.”

 

There was a pause between them and then Lance squealed and hugged him tight, making Keith stiffen and glower. He wasn’t  a hugger. “You  _ do  _ care,” Lance said happily. “Thanks, buddy.”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” Keith growled. “Can we go to the pizza party now?”

 

“No way, I’ve got to make the rounds. Give me an hour.”

 

Keith groaned. “One hour.”

 

“Back in a flash.” Lance took off to start mingling, while Keith went to find somewhere to sit and be miserable. 

 

Pretty much everywhere available to sit was taken up by people making out and getting handsy, so Keith found himself going outside into the backyard. The frat house had its own private pool, which was of course, full to capacity, but Keith managed to find a place to sit under a tree in the backyard, happy to be away from everything. 

 

As soon as he was alone, Keith’s mind wandered to Shiro and how much tamer their party would be. He’d finally get a chance to talk to Shiro again. 

 

When he’d first moved in, Keith hadn’t had anyone to talk to as he’d moved in early to be a part of the soccer team until he’d been cut from the team because his coach had found out his status. He was lucky that the coach had said nothing, but since he’d been moved in early, he’d had no friends or roommate.

 

The first time he’d met Shiro, he’d been coming back from working out in the gym to the point where his body was exhausted and he’d worked up a horrendous sweat. Shiro had been in the lounge and offered him a slice of pizza. It had been a silly and simple gesture, but it had meant the world to Keith after the week he’d had. After that first slice of pizza, they’d gotten closer. 

 

Shiro and Keith worked out together, talked together, and were practically attached at the hip. Especially when Shiro found out Keith was also an astrophysics major. They’d bonded over their love of the cosmos and had only deepened their bond by spending every moment together. 

 

Then, the rest of the freshman moved in and things became more complicated. Shiro was always busy now, with other residents, his fraternity, his other friends… Keith never had a chance to just  _ talk  _ to Shiro. The realization that he’d been bottling a lot of stuff up again, made his heart feel heavy and Keith realized how depressed he felt. Intrusive thoughts flooded his mind and he began to dwell on suicide like he’d used to do all the time before meeting Shiro. 

 

Shiro had given him something to live for. 

 

No one else understood him better and Keith didn’t feel as if he had to hide his status as much around Shiro. He’d almost even told Shiro about being an omega once, but they’d been interrupted so he’d forgone telling him. 

 

Keith sighed a little, feeling emotional and tired. The nurse had lowered his dosage of Heat suppressants because they were “damaging” his body, so he was starting to feel that pull of wanting to elapse into Heat again. It always made him an emotional wreck and put him on edge. He didn’t want to go into Heat again, especially not here and now. 

 

Breathing exercises helped him calm down and Keith pulled out his phone to have something to do while he waited on Lance. The hour slipped by slowly, but when it was up, Keith stood, and began his search for his estranged roommate. Keith headed back inside, slipping through a group of people by the back door. 

 

“Come on, one more,” one of the members was encouraging someone. A crowd had gathered and Keith pushed his way through, to find Lance drinking and mostly naked. 

 

“Lance!” Keith took the drink from his hand, looking for his pink coat, but it was nowhere to be seen. 

 

“ _ Hey,”  _ Lance slurred. “ _ Keef _ !”

 

Keith sighed, glaring at the members laughing and encouraging Lance to take his panties off and show them his cunt as they called it. Keith helped Lance stand up, finally finding his discarded clothes. “Why are you undressed?” Keith whispered to Lance as he walked him to a less busy part of the house. 

 

“They told me to undress,” Lance said. “Said if I did,” Lance hiccuped, “said- said- I’d get in.”

 

“They’re hazing you,” Keith said, trying to redress Lance, but he wasn’t making it easy. “Lance, stand still.”

 

“I have to find  _ Lotor _ .”

 

“You’re plastered. You need to find something to eat.”

 

“Not hungry.”

 

Keith managed to get one of Lance’s long legs in his jeans. “Come on, man, we have to get to Shiro's party. How much did you drink?”

 

“Iunno.”

 

Guiding Lance’s other leg carefully, Keith pulled up his jeans and buttoned them, searching for Lance’s crop top. It had a mysterious stain on it, but he pulled it over Lance’s head regardless. 

 

“Here, put your coat on,” Keith said, holding it out for Lance to take. “We have to go.”

 

“But I didn’t get to talk to Lotor,” Lance whined. 

 

“And you don’t want to like this. Let’s go.” Lance took the coat, putting it on backwards. Keith sighed. “Good enough.” 

 

The crowd was beginning to come their way, so Keith guided Lance out of the house and back outside into to cold night. Lance moaned and whined the entire way, but the closer they drew to Alpha Omega’s House, Lance became less whiny. 

 

“I don’t feel good,” Lance commented as they reached the house at last. 

 

“I’m sure you don’t.” Keith knocked on the door and someone called for them to come in.

 

The Alpha Omega House was humble in comparison to the other fraternity houses on campus. It was two stories and fairly old and in need of a paint job. The inside however was warm and inviting, with cute kitschy furniture and a plush carpet. The staircase nearby was a collector of coats, so Keith shed his, but Lance refused to give his up, so he let it go. 

 

Shiro was on the couch, talking to some young freshman girls. They stared at him with big doe eyes full of admiration. Keith clenched his jaw, a pang of jealousy filling him. Of course, Shiro was being flirted with by young girls who probably had no idea they were barking up the wrong tree. 

 

Lance stumbled over to where Pidge and Hunk were sitting. Keith was surprised to see them, but he supposed they were there for free pizza and for Shiro. Keith went to stand by the pizza, helping himself, as he waited for Shiro to be free. 

 

Once the girls finally left, Keith jumped forward to intercept Shiro before someone else did. “Hey,” he said casually. 

 

Shiro glanced up at him, looking tired. “Keith. You came.”

 

“Told you I would. Sorry about being late. Lance insisted on staying at Gamma Epsilon for forever.”

 

Shiro shrugged. “It’s alright…” Shiro glanced over at Lance who was being loud and obnoxious. “Is he drunk?”

 

Keith nodded. “Plastered.”

 

Shiro made a face and then looked apologetic, like he had to say something he didn’t want to. “I’m sorry, Keith…”

 

Keith paused in eating. “What?”

 

“You’ll have to take him home. We have a strict policy about drinking in the house.”

 

“But- he’s not drinking. He’s drunk-.”  _ No, no, no, no! Don’t kick me out, please. Shiro… _

 

“Sorry, Keith, rules are rules.” Shiro shrugged helplessly. 

 

Keith set his unfinished pizza down; feeling dejected and frustrated. He was going to kill Lance. “Okay,” he said stiffly, before walking over to Lance and grabbing him by his shirt. “Let’s go.”

 

“Where we going?” Lance asked. 

 

“Shiro is kicking us out and I’m going to strangle you when we get back to the dorm. Let’s go. Now.” Keith forced Lance to leave, shoving him along in anger. 

 

The problem with taking Lance home now was Shiro  _ knew _ he couldn’t just leave Lance alone in their room and come back. His face heated up as they walked outside toward the dorm, his jaw clenched, and angry tears burning behind his eyes. Maybe Shiro didn’t want to talk to him and that had been his way of getting rid of Keith easily. 

 

The possibility that that was true made Keith sick. 

 

Lance reached the door first and began to wave his student badge in front of their locked door as if it had a sensor on it like the main door did. Keith sighed and unlocked the door for him. Lance made a happy noise and then immediately went to their little bathroom to throw up. 

 

_ I’m going to fucking kill him.  _   
  


* * *

 

 

“Ugh…” 

 

Keith rolled over to see Lance waking up from his spot on the futon. After Lance had exited the bathroom last night, he’d proclaimed he was sleepy and wanted to go to bed, so Keith had attempted to help him get to the top bunk, but it had been impossible. Instead, Keith had guided him to the futon and put him facedown on it instead so he didn’t asphyxiate. 

 

“Morning, sunshine,” Keith said sarcastically, still feeling angry with Lance. 

 

Lance moaned again. “Fuck.” 

 

“A bit hungover?” 

 

“Yeah.” Lance sat up and cried out when Keith shined a flashlight in his eyes. “What the fuck man?!” 

 

“ _ That’s  _ for getting us kicked out of Alpha Omega’s party last night,” Keith spat. 

 

“How did I get us kicked out?” Lance yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to shield them from the light. “Turn it  _ off _ .” 

 

“Because you were drunk.” Keith shut the flashlight off, his rage seething beneath his skin. He’d missed out on an entire night of finally talking to Shiro because of Lance. He’d not liked Lance before, but now he sort of wanted to kick his ass and kill him. “You suck.” 

 

Lance stared at him with wide eyes, clearly struggling to comprehend in his sluggish state. “You’re mad because I got drunk and we were kicked out of a party?” 

 

“Yes,” Keith spat, tossing his shirt at Lance in anger as he changed clothes. 

 

Lance didn’t move fast enough and ended up up smacked in the face with Keith’s shirt. “Hey! You’re just mad I probably embarrassed you in front of  _ Shiro _ .” 

 

Keith glared into his closet, which was practically empty, he needed to do laundry. “Lance, I could have  _ left _ you a million times last night, and I didn’t! I babysat you  _ all night _ , including when you were trying to throw up on the floor at three a.m… I dressed you, kept you from vomiting on yourself on the way home, and I kept Alphas from taking advantage of you at Gamma Epsilon's House… and yes, you did embarrass me in front of Shiro and you embarrassed yourself, too.” 

 

After being scolded, Lance looked down sheepishly. “Oh,” he said quietly. 

 

“Yeah,  _ oh _ . I have to do laundry - just - stay out of my way today.” Keith grabbed his basket of clothes to take to the laundry room down the hall before Lance could say anything else. He  _ wasn’t _ in the mood to deal with Lance’s apologies. “And fucking shower, you stink.” 

 

Keith let their door shut behind him, shoving his student badge between his teeth so he could teeter down the hall with the basket of laundry he had to do. It was quiet for a Sunday morning, so he was excited to see his favorite washing machine wasn’t being used and no one’s clothes were inside.  _ It’s the little things _ , Keith thought to himself as he shoved his clothes inside the machine and poured the last of his detergent in with them. 

 

The door unlocked and Keith looked over to see Shiro hefting a huge basket full of clothes. He smiled when he saw Keith. “Funny we keep running into each other.” 

 

“Hey,” he said, looking away as his face turned automatically red. “I’m sorry about last night.” 

 

“You weren’t the drunk one,” Shiro reminded him as he began to sort his laundry into washing machines. 

 

“I know, but I was responsible for him… I shouldn’t have let him get like that… or bring him around to your party like that. I just- really wanted to go.” Keith shrugged, slowly lifting himself up to sit on top of the washing machine, watching Shiro sort laundry. It was soothing. “How many loads do you  _ have _ ?” 

 

Shiro laughed softly, sorting through socks. “I go by color,” he said. “That’s how my mom taught me before she passed away.” 

 

“I’m sorry.” 

 

“Nah, it’s okay… It was a  _ long _ time ago. She died when I was… like… thirteen,” Shiro said, pausing to think back and make sure that was correct. “Car accident.” 

 

“That’s terrible…” 

 

Shiro nodded but didn’t say anything else regarding the subject. “I also just have a lot of clothes,” he said with an embarrassed laugh. “I’ve had a longer time to acquire clothes than the average college senior.” 

 

“You’re only two years older than the average college senior,” Keith pointed out. 

 

“Two extra years to gather extra articles of clothing.” Shiro finally finished sorting and leaned against the machine next to Keith, looking up at him for once. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to stay, we ended up busting out a couple of movies and just hanging out. It would have been nice to have you.” 

 

Disappointment flooded him as he pictured someone  _ else _ cuddling up to Shiro during movie night. “Oh.” 

 

“We’ll have to do it sometime.” 

 

“Do what?” 

 

“Pick a movie to watch. Me, you, Lance.” Shiro smiled at him as if it were a great idea, and it was, minus the part about Lance. “Tell Lance to be careful, Lotor likes to haze people before giving out bids and pledging them. It’s illegal on campus to haze students, but he doesn’t really care. He tends to do what he likes.” 

 

“How come no one’s reported him?” Keith asked. 

 

“They did get reported, last year, but you get three strikes and Lotor's only on strike number two.” 

 

“Fucking stupid,” Keith muttered. “I know he’s your friend, but I have  _ no _ idea how… He’s such a dick.” 

 

Shiro sighed, staring off into the distance for a moment. “Lotor is… complicated. He tends to perform constantly, not just when he’s on stage.” 

 

“So, you’re saying he puts on an act,” Keith said slowly. “Why?” 

 

“It’s a long story and it’s not my story to tell… Maybe if you get to know him better, he’ll tell you.” Shiro clapped Keith on the thigh, which made him jump a little. “I have to get some homework done.” 

 

Keith stammered, watching Shiro walk away. “Shiro-.” 

 

“Yes?” Shiro turned to face him, already at the door. 

 

_ Stay. Stay. Stay. Stay _ . 

 

His mind was screaming to tell Shiro to stay, to  _ beg _ him to stay, but he didn’t want to be a bother or hinderance. “Nothing,” he finally said, kicking his feet slightly. “Good luck with your homework.” 

 

Shiro smiled dashingly. “Thanks.” 

 

Keith listened to the door open and shut, soon being left to only listen to the whir of the washing machines and nothing more. 

 

_ Please stop leaving me _ . 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW** 
> 
> Also, thank you to [pining-keith](http://pining-keith.tumblr.com/), aka Alisha, for assisting me in thinking up something for Lance to ramble about as he received oral sex from Lotor.

Showering and cleansing and being _clean_ were Lance’s Church. He took his time in the shower, steaming and lathering to truly cleanse his body and soul from the night he’d had at Gamma Epsilon.

 

He vaguely remembered undressing because they’d told him to and he remembered their comments on his long legs and flexibility and desire to please. Lance could already hear his mother telling him to stop shaming himself and their family name. It made him feel sad and he missed his family so much. College and getting away were nice, but he’d always been a family person.

 

Maybe, by the time he went home for the holidays he’d be a part of Gamma Epsilon and he could finally prove his family wrong. Omegas could do anything alphas could do, some would argue they could even do them better.

 

After the shower, Lance wrapped up in a towel and walked back to his room, glad Keith wasn’t there to bitch some more. The guy was miserable and Lance hoped Keith would either grow up or he’d be able to room with Hunk next year. He put on another face mask while he dried in the towel, sitting on the edge of the futon, checking his phone for texts or messages on Instagram.

 

Lance grinned at all of the likes he’d received on the selfie he’d taken last night with his Look. His followers loved his makeup tutorials and looks, and he liked the attention. He noted there was a slew of new followers and as he went over them, Lance gasped.

 

 _princelotor_ is now following you.

 

“Fuck,” Lance said, opening up Lotor's Instagram. It was definitely him if all of the selfies and other photos indicated anything. Lance chewed on his bottom lip as he scrolled through Lotor's posts. The guy had an eye for photography and he was great at selfies.

 

He’d have to step up his game.

 

Lance jumped when the door to their dorm opened and Keith came back in, basket free. “Thought you were doing laundry?” Lance asked.

 

“I am,” Keith said, going to lie on his bed on the bottom bunk, yawning.

 

“Mm.” Lance sat back and took a selfie with the mask on, knowing his followers liked knowing his beauty routine.

 

“What the hell is on your face?” Keith asked.

 

Lance shot him a dark look. “It’s a coffee, oatmeal, and aloe mask. Helps wake and exfoliate and moisturize the face,” Lance spat haughtily. “Your skin could use some skincare, you should try a basic cleanser and moisturizer.”

 

Keith snorted. “You're such an omega.”

 

“Yes and alphas _love_ me.” Lance stood to go wash his face, rubbing the mask off, which left his face soft and feeling refreshed.

 

“Yeah, which is why you’re so single.”

 

Lance winced, glaring at Keith in the mirror. “Why are you such an asshole? Hm? What did I ever do to you?”

 

“You exist. That’s enough.”

 

The comment made Lance bristle and he wanted to snap back, but instead he just stripped out of the towel, which made Keith cry out like he’d been stabbed.

 

“ _Why_ are you naked right now?” Keith demanded.

 

Lance rolled his eyes as he walked over to his set of drawers to find some underwear. “As if you’ve never seen a naked omega before.”

 

Keith’s face turned red and he buried it in his pillow. “Tell me when you’re dressed.”

 

Lance just rolled his eyes, pulling on a pair of panties, tempted to take a selfie in those, too. Maybe Lotor would like _that_. Traipsing over to his phone, Lance took another selfie, angled just right, posting little emojis with it. Alphas were so predictable, he wasn’t surprised to have immediate likes and comments.

 

The only one he cared about was Lotor, however.

 

“Lace!” Keith moaned.

 

“I’m working on it. I’m in my underwear you know, so not totally naked.” Lance went to look through his myriad of clothes, looking for something cute but casual, in case he ran into Lotor at the student center for brunch.

 

Keith huffed and dropped the pillow. “ _Thank_ you.”

 

“Do my nipples look swollen to you?” Lance asked suddenly, glancing at himself in the mirror. The question made Keith stammer, but Lance ignored his stuttering. “Damn it, I don’t want to go in Heat this week.”

 

“Are you going to?”

 

“Probably. Do you see the size of these fuckers?” Lance tweaked his nipples and noted they were tender. His Heat was definitely coming soon, if not later today.

 

“That’s unfortunate.”

 

Lance groaned as he pulled out an outfit. “Hate Heats.”

 

“You don’t take suppressants?”

 

“Hell no,” Lance said. “Those are terrible for you.” He made a face as he dressed. “Not surprised an alpha would ask that though… They mess you up _so_ bad.”

 

Keith frowned, sitting up slowly. “What do you mean?”

 

“They screw up your body’s chemistry so when you come off them, your Heat is so intense and so bad, it’s awful. And it lasts for weeks. They quit prescribing those years ago. You can only get them now if you go to someone who clearly doesn’t care or has no idea because they’re still in the Stone Age.”

 

Keith’s face seemed concerned and he looked uncertain. It was a strange look to have after discussing Heat suppressants.

 

“You okay?” Lance asked.

 

“Yeah,” Keith said quickly. “I’ve got laundry.” Keith left the room in a hurry and Lance shrugged. It wasn’t his business to always know why Keith was weird.

 

He had a date with brunch anyway.

 

Lance grinned to himself as he took one last selfie of his outfit and light makeup look. Lotor was going to love him.

 

* * *

  


“Oh my God, they have _crepes_.”

 

Lance stood behind Hunk in one of the lines for brunch, listening to Hunk salivate over the strawberry crepes being served. His were on Lotor, however, and how he was talking to two of his friends, Acxa and Zethrid. Lance noted he seemed tired and less quick to offer up charismatic smiles. When Lotor moved to stand and wait for his food, Lance saw he was also limping.

 

“Earth to _Lance_ ,” Pidge said, nudging him. “You’re up.”

 

Lance blinked and grabbed a few crepes to drizzle strawberry sauce and whipped cream on. Lotor was on the opposite side, waiting for an omelette. _Just go talk to him_. Taking a deep breath, Lance walked over to stand by Lotor, wondering what had him in such a darkened mood.

 

“Can I help you?” Lotor asked, looking over at him.

 

When he stood close enough, Lance noted he was actually an inch or two taller than Lotor and the realization was oddly thrilling. “I wanted to talk to you.”

 

“Let me guess,” Lotor started out icily. “You will do _anything_ to be a part of Gamma Epsilon, as you keep reminding me daily… I do not have time or patience for this right now, Lance. The more you tell me, the more I could care less.”

 

Lance bristled a little. “I just wanted to talk to you. Why is it you’ll socialize with Keith but not me? Keith doesn’t even _want_ to join your fraternity.”

 

Lotor sighed, as if Lance pained him. “You’re going to be a thorn in my side until I break, aren’t you?”

 

“Don’t think of me as a thorn in your side, but a _lance_ ,” he replied with a wide grin. Lotor stared back at him blankly. “What? It was funny!”

 

Lotor tried to hide a smirk and Lance’s smile widened. He _had_ thought it was funny. They ended up making eye contact for what felt like years;  Lotor's eyes were so _blue_ , but a dark blue. _LIke indigo_ , Lance thought as he felt as if he were swimming in Lotor's eyes. His body ached for the alpha’s touch and he was reminded of his impeding Heat.

 

The ding of Lotor's order being ready broke the spell and they both tore apart from one another. Lance stared at his plate and saw the strawberry glaze and whipped cream were starting to congeal. He wasn’t sure his crepes would be that good cold.

 

“After brunch,” Lotor finally said, making him jump. “Meet me downstairs.”

 

Lance felt a small excited thrill run through him and he nodded. Lotor limped away and Lance did a little victory dance. He only stopped when he saw Shiro staring at him with wide eyes. “Just keep walking, beef daddy,” he said, which made Shiro blush and hurry on his way.

 

Lance smiled; he had a date with Lotor.

  


Lotor was waiting on the first floor lounge, sprawled out across a couch when Lance walked downstairs. Even in casual sweatpants and a burgundy university t-shirt, Lotor looked tragically beautiful. His white hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, while he looked bored, scrolling through his phone.

 

“Lotor.”

 

Sharp blue eyes glanced up and looked into his, which made his heart stop. Lotor was beautiful in a way that most alphas were not; he was well built, but he had delicate features that put him all together like a mysterious puzzle.

 

“Lance,” Lotor said in his deep, accented voice. “Interesting top.”

 

Lance looked down at his shirt, having forgotten which one he’d put on. The crop top showed off his midriff and had tacos printed on a space backdrop. “I like tacos and space,” Lance replied with a shrug.

 

Lotor smirked. “I also like tacos and space.”

 

“We should get some later.”

 

“Perhaps, but I think I want dessert first,” Lotor replied as he dragged his intense gaze over Lane’s frame.

 

“You just had brunch,” Lance pointed out, missing the pass entirely.

 

Lotor's face fell for a moment. “Not that kind of dessert,” he said, once again, looking him up and down.

 

It took Lance a moment to realize what Lotor was after, but when he did, he felt his face flush. “Oh. _Right_.”

 

“So, what do you say, Lance? You want to spend the afternoon with me?”

 

The entire afternoon with Lotor; probably spent in bed, naked, doing extremely naughty things together. In the back of his mind, Lance knew it was probably a stupid idea, everyone knew Lotor was a player… but he couldn’t stop himself from saying _yes_ regardless.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s go.”

 

Lotor smiled, satisfied. “Excellent.”

  


* * *

 

 

“You know, I was at the mall the other day with Hunk and Pidge- and- _ah_ \- and they- they had these- mmm- socks,” Lance was saying, while Lotor had his face buried between his legs. He’d been talking ever since Lotor had slipped his pants off to lick his pussy and they’d quit making out. He liked to fill the quiet with talking, especially since he was a bit nervous. “They have these fucking _weeds_ on them and I hate when people fucking buy those so- _ah_ -cks and wear them. In public, what the fuck is with that?”

 

Lance gasped when Lotor hit a good spot, moaning softly, his hips arching. He quieted for a moment, before jumping back into it all over again, “I mean, I know I have a pair, but like, I can pull it off, y’know? You could probably pull it off, too, but like the _average_ person? They can’t- oh fuck- _yes right there_ \- pull it off, it just looks ridiculous. Why do they even sell - oh fuck- _fuck_ ,” Lance gasped again, almost losing his train of thought as Lotor's tongue went inside of him. He’d never had anything inside before, which he hadn’t _told_ Lotor he was a virgin, and he was hoping it wasn’t too obvious.

 

“Anyway- I was saying I hate those little marijuana socks… I mean, we get it, you smoke weed, you think you’re _cool_ . I kind of hope someone buys them and Shiro sees them, because it would _hilarious_ … _ah fuck_ …” Lance dug his fingers into the bed spread, his thighs starting to shake. “Holy shit- holy _shit_ \- You know I also saw these cool lamp things at the mall at the same place they sold the weed socks. They were kind of pricey thought, but-.”

 

“ _Lance_ .” Lotor slowly sat up, his mouth a bit pink, but his face was not amused. “I am… doing my best work here,” he said slowly. “I’m putting a lot of effort into making you cum and _yet_ you aren’t appreciating it at all.”

 

Lance gulped, feeling his nerves bundle up inside. “Oh…”

 

“While I am _certain_ talking to you is a treat and the world must be very fascinating in your eyes, I am going to ask you as nicely as I can… Please shut the hell up and enjoy the ride, thank you.” Lotor resumed eating him out and Lance did his best to stay quiet, moaning and whimpering instead, staring up at the ceiling as he felt his orgasm building a hot spot in his stomach.

 

The heat between his legs built up so fast, he was almost there, and he found himself chattering all over again, unable to stop from talking. “I-I-I… really wanted one of those- _ah_ \- lamps,” he gasped, his voice breathy and higher pitched. “So- so bad… b-but they were- _oh fuck oh fuckfuck_ \- expensive.. And I don’t think I should spend- that much- _oh my God_ \- on a lamp- for my room.”

 

Lotor sighed and Lance felt his toes crack they curled so hard. His eyes grew wide as Lotor paused only to grab his panties and shove them into his mouth. The fabric choked him a bit and he coughed, still on edge, ready to teeter over completely. His face turned bright red as he stared at Lotor, unable to talk due to the new impromptu gag.

 

“There,” Lotor said, seeming to relax. “That’s better.”

 

Lance cried out, the sound now muffled, when Lotor's fingers slid inside of him easily due to how wet he’d become. His stomach tightened and his legs began to shake again, and when Lotor pressed his thumb into his clit, Lance’s hips bucked as he came, squeezing Lotor's fingers tightly. Tears streamed down his face from the intensity, while Lotor looked pleased at Lance’s orgasm.

 

“Good boy,” Lotor told him. Lance squeezed his fingers again at the praise. “Do you want my cock now?”

 

Lance looked down to see Lotor stroke his large cock and he slowly shut his legs, unsure he was ready for something _that_ large already. He shook his head quickly and Lotor raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“No?” he asked.

 

He shook his head again.

 

“Why?”

 

Lance attempted to talk and couldn’t so Lotor reached over to pull the panties out of his mouth. “I don’t think it’ll fit,” he said shyly.

 

Lotor grinned and pinched his cheek. “Believe it or not, your tight cunt will stretch to accommodate, my little omega.”

 

The filthy words made Lance bush again. He really just… wasn’t ready. “I don’t know…”

 

“If you don’t want to, Lance, I won’t make you,” Lotor said.

 

“I could… use my mouth,” Lance said slowly as he sat up, opening his mouth up expectantly like a good omega. He wanted to be perfect for Lotor, even though he’d never given head before. _First time for everything_ , he thought to himself.

 

“Is that what you want to do?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Lotor smirked and rubbed the head of his cock against Lance’s lower lip, teasing him gently. “Fine,” he said. “You _do_ have the prettiest cock-sucking lips I’ve ever seen on an omega.”

 

Well, if he hadn’t been blushing before, he definitely was now. Lance opened his mouth wide and allowed Lotor to slip the head of his cock between his lips. The only thing Lance knew about giving head was to not bite the boy you were sucking off, so he did his best to keep his jaw loose, trying to take as much as possible. Lotor's cock was _huge_ and Lance wasn’t skilled enough to take more than the head in his mouth, using his hand to stroke and rub the rest, looking up shyly through his lashes.

 

“You have the prettiest eyes,” Lotor said quietly, running his fingers through his hair affectionately.

 

Lance moaned, sucking Lotor's cock harder, attempting to take more into his mouth. He felt Lotor gently tug him back a little and he looked up curiously.

 

“Do not force yourself,” Lotor said, petting his hair again. “You’re doing well.”

 

The praise made Lance feel special and he whimpered and moaned. He was eager to please and desperate to be Lotor's omega. Maybe he would be the one to finally tame Lotor's wild ways. The thought made him almost roll his eyes, but Lance remembered Lotor was watching and quickly refocused on pleasuring him.

 

“I think it’s better this way,” Lance said with a  chuckle. “I keep you quiet and you learn how to suck dick.”

 

Lance shut his eyes, running his tongue along the ridge of Lotor's cock, teasing the slit until he tasted the salty precome. The taste made him feel unsure, but he kept teasing that spot. The way Lotor moaned and made soft noises, he had a feeling he was close. His eyes focused on the way Lotor was breathing - how his stomach tensed and untensed, and how his eyes were shut with his head back. White hair cascaded behind him in a long waterfall. Lance realized he wanted to pull that hair.

 

“Coming,” Lotor gasped, his own long fingers grabbing a fistful of Lance’s hair and yanking him back so he came on his face and not in his mouth.

 

The motion made Lance gasp, pain flooding his scalp and then humiliation filling him as Lotor came on his face, marking him up like a slut. The humiliation made his clit throb and he realized it was arousing. _What the hell is wrong with me_? He thought, as he looked up at Lotor innocently.

 

Lotor stared down at him, breathing heavily, a slow grin forming on his face. “You look good like that, little omega,” Lotor panted. “I like you on your knees.”

 

Lance muttered a _thank you_ , before he realized he probably looked disgusting and would need to clean up soon. He hoped Lotor didn’t mind them _not_ having sex for a while; he wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. “I should clean up,” he said slowly.

 

Lotor nodded and pointed Lance toward the bathroom; he was thankful Lotor had his own private bathroom so he didn’t have to walk into the hallway with his face covered in cum. Turning the lights on, Lance flinched once they flooded the room with light and he could _see_ the mess Lotor had made on his face. It was everywhere - his eyelashes, his hair, his nose, his lips, his chin, cheeks, and forehead. He looked like an erotic painting gone wrong.

 

“You know, my foundation costs forty bucks, so this better come off without ruining my face,” he snapped back at Lotor from the bathroom. He could hear Lotor laughing, but he was pretty fucking serious. Makeup was expensive as hell. Lance was careful in cleaning up, using a damp washcloth to try to become decent looking again.

 

When he finally re-emerged, Lotor was lounging on his bed casually, as if he hadn’t just sprayed Lance’s face with semen a moment ago. “I was serious about my makeup, that shit is expensive,” he said, looking for his clothes to redress. They were scattered all over the room from their mutual eagerness to get undressed earlier. “Was I… okay?”

 

Lotor put his hands behind his head, completely relaxed, and still completely naked. “You were, little omega,” Lotor confirmed. “I don’t usually ask someone back again, but I may have to make an exception for you… Are you coming to tonight’s party?”

 

Lance nodded. “Fuck yeah, I wouldn’t miss it.”

 

“Good. I suggest bringing extra clothes, I have a feeling I’ll be asking you to stay the night.”

 

Lance gulped a little. Staying the night? With Lotor? His panties suddenly felt wet all over again. The guy was going to literally force him into Heat. “Sure,” he squeaked.

 

“Until then…” Lotor gestured Lance to approach, so he did, and he blushed a little when Lotor pulled him down for a soft kiss. It was a surprisingly sweet and gentle gesture. “Do you have my number?”

 

“I can get it from Shiro,” he pointed out.

 

“Good. Text me, little one.”

 

 _Little one, little omega_ \- they were endearing and he liked the way the nicknames sounded on Lotor's lips. “Okay,” he said, letting Lotor kiss him again, before he slowly left the room, feeling dazed.

 

As he walked back to his dorm, Lance felt as if he were walking on air.

 

* * *

 

Throbbing music could be heard across campus and there were so many people on Gamma Epsilon’s lawn, Lance wasn’t sure he was going to be able to squeeze inside or even find Lotor. Acxa was outside, yelling at someone to pick up the trash they’d thrown on the ground, so Lance approached her for help.

 

“Hey,” he said, not even sure she knew his name. “I’m looking for Lotor.”

 

Acxa glanced at him, a sneer on her face. “Get in line, kid.”

 

“He wanted me to come.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“I’m Lance,” he said as a final effort, hoping maybe Lotor had asked his group to look out for him to arrive.

 

Acxa looked at him again. “Are you still talking to me? Lotor is busy and can’t be bothered with little freshman. Go away.”

 

_Well, he definitely didn’t mention me._

 

Lance sighed and went inside the house, ducking and squeezing through the throng of people. There were so many bodies, he began to sweat from the intense body heat. He scanned the crowd for a flash of white hair but no matter which part of the house Lance crawled to, there was no sign of Lotor.

 

The only empty part of the house seemed to be the stairs, which Lance noted were roped off. Frowning, he hopped over the rope and began to go upstairs. Lotor's room was on the third floor of the house, so he took the steps on up, heading down the hallway to the last door. The light was on inside, so Lance knocked.

 

Had Lotor not gone to his own party? Even for a Gamma Epsilon party, this one seemed insane and he wondered if it was due to Lotor not being there to supervise.

 

“Zethrid,” came Lotor's tired voice. “I told you, I did not wish to be bothered.”

 

“Lotor? It’s Lance…” Lotor sounded so tired, like something was wrong, and he began to worry. “Can I come in?”

 

There was a long pause and then Lotor finally granted permission. The door opened easily and Lance slowly took in the sight. Lotor was lying in bed, a bottle of wine sitting next to him on the nightstand; it was almost empty and from the flush of Lotor's cheeks he’d finished it by himself. The room was a mess in comparison to earlier, his clothes strewn and thrown around; the curtains were firmly shut, and it looked as if someone had come inside his room and dumped a bunch of stuff on the floor.

 

“Whoa,” Lance said, confused. “What happened?”

 

Lotor wrapped his long fingers around the bottle of wine next to him as a response, raising it up to his mouth to finish it off before throwing it across the room and against the wall. The bottle shattered and Lance jumped at the sound it made. Suddenly, he had a feeling he knew what had happened to Lotor's room.

 

Something was wrong.

 

Lance walked over to sit next to Lotor on the bed, offering comfort, even though he knew Lotor didn’t know him that well. Despite that, Lance wrapped his arms around Lotor anyway. Sometimes, a hug could fix anything.

 

Lotor immediately stiffened, but he didn’t pull away. “I can’t tonight, Lance,” he said flatly. “I know you were expecting more…”

 

“I wasn’t expecting anything,” Lance countered. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Silence was his only answer.

 

It dragged on for minutes, the only sounds the bump of the music and the muffled yelling coming from outside and the party. Lance didn’t mind, he just snuggled up to Lotor and listened to him breathe.

 

“Lance,” Lotor said quietly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Am I monstrous?”

 

It wasn’t the question he’d been expecting; it wasn’t even a question he was sure he could answer.

 

“Well,” Lance said slowly, trying not to mess it up. “I don’t know you that well, not yet, but from what I’ve seen, I don’t think so.”

 

The room went quiet again. Lotor's face remained blank as he stared into space, but after a moment, he began to struggle with his composure. HIs browns knitted together and his jaw seemed to tremble as his eyes grew wet. “I don’t want to be like him,” he whispered, sounding lost.

 

“Like who?”

 

“My father.”

 

Lance frowned. Lotor seemed far away, gazing into something Lance couldn’t see. It made him look vulnerable and afraid, like he was a scared child.

 

“What did he do?” From the look on Lotor's face, Lance wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “Lotor?”

 

Suddenly, Lotor snapped out of his trance and quickly pulled out of Lance’s embrace. “Get out,” he growled dangerously.

 

“What?”

 

“I said get out! Leave!” Lotor pushed him away, standing up to throw more things around his room in anger.

 

Lance’s lip trembled as he hurried to go. “I don’t know what I did,” he said, rushing from Lotor's room to go home. Whatever Lotor's father had done, it must have been horrible to break him up so badly inside.

 

The night felt colder with dark possibilities.

 

* * *

 

 

The dorm hall’s lights were dimmed and only a few rooms had muffled sounds of roommates talking or a television running when Lance arrived at his dorm. Everyone else was asleep. He was almost to his room, so he did his best to wipe his face clear of tears. He didn’t need Keith grilling him for crying.

 

The sound of a door opening startled him so badly he jumped and glanced over his shoulder. Shiro was stepping into the hall, wiping his the board he had on his door clean. “Hey, Lance,” Shiro said as he saw him, a smile filling his face. It quickly faded when Shiro realized he’d been crying. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” he said quietly.

 

Shiro approached slowly, like he was attempting to tame a wild animal. “Lance, you can talk to me. Do you want to talk in my room? I was just filling out my schedule, but that can wait.”

 

Lance considered it before eventually nodding; anything was better than facing Keith’s inevitable interrogation.

 

“Okay. Come in.” Shiro ushered Lance inside, going to a closet to pull out two huge comfy pillows that almost looked like chairs.

 

“Whoa,” Lance said as Shiro set them up. “Where do I get one?”

 

Shiro grinned. “I got them online. They’re great for when you just want to sit and talk to someone. Have a seat.”

 

Lance slowly sat down and accepted the tissues Shiro offered him, wiping his eyes again. He hated crying, especially in front of people, but Shiro had already seen it.

 

“What’s going on?” Shiro asked, his full attention on him.

 

“I went to Gamma Epsilon tonight, because Lotor invited me- I should disclose that we sorta had sex this morning.”

 

Shiro blinked, taken aback. “Whoa _what_ ? _Sorta_?”

 

“He gave me oral, I reciprocated,” Lance said with a blush. “Anyway, he invited me to stay the night tonight.”

 

“Is that where you came from?” When Lance nodded miserably, Shiro took a deep breath through his nose. “Did he hurt you?”

 

“Not physically.. I went over and he wasn’t at the party. He was lying in bed, drinking a bottle of wine and being sad… So, I was comforting him. Then he said he didn’t want to be like his dad-.”

 

Shiro’s face changed again, bearing a brief mask of alarm. “His father… Oh fuck…”

 

“What?”

 

“Uh…” Shiro began to look around the room desperately, until he found his phone, and began to text at hyperspeed. “It’s complicated, Lance, and not my story to tell, but I should check on him…”

 

“Oh… He yelled at me to get out. I just don’t know what I did,” Lance said helplessly, feeling dejected.

 

Shiro looked apologetic. “He’s terrible with emotions and being vulnerable, and letting people help. It’s not you or anything you did, trust me.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“I’ve been friends with him since freshman year, believe me Lance, it’s _not_ you. The fact that you stayed with him, without prying and demanding he talk to you… It’s really great, Lance. It probably meant a lot to him, even if he failed at showing that to you.” Shiro rubbed Lance’s back gently. “As his friend, thank you for helping him.”

 

Lance nodded, still not understanding. “Is he okay?”

 

“I hope so. Are _you_?”

 

“Better.”

 

“Good.”

 

Lance yawned after a moment, hoping to see if Lotor texted Shiro back. “I should go to bed, I guess. Thanks, Shiro.”

 

“Anytime, Lance. You can always come to me.”

 

Lance paused and then hugged Shiro quickly before getting up to go back to his room. “Night.”

 

“Good night, Lance.”

 

“If Keith interrogates me, will you come sit on him?”

 

Shiro laughed. “Sure.”

 

Lance grinned. “Excellent,” he said, before going back to his room for the night.

 

* * *

  


“Lance!”

 

Lance froze on the sidewalk as he’d been walking to his afternoon chemistry class. The trees lining the sidewalk created an orange glow on those who walked under them. The leaves were turning brilliantly in the late October and the sunshine only amplified the intensity. The voice belonged to Lotor, Lance was certain, and he confirmed it as he saw the dapper young man hurrying up toward him.

 

The last time he’d spoken to Lotor had been after his angry outburst a week ago in his bedroom. No texts. No calls. No messages on Facebook or Instagram. Just radio silence. Lance had started to figure he wouldn’t hear from Lotor ever again, except for when they saw each other during rushing, if even then. Yet, there was Lotor, carting a small black gift bag as he closed the gap between them.

 

“Lance,” Lotor said again, taking a breath once he was close enough. “I’m glad I caught you.”

 

Lance didn’t reply, staring with uncertainty.

 

“Do you have a minute?”

 

“I have class.”

 

“I promise, I won’t keep you.” Lotor handed over the gift bag. “For you.”

 

Giving Lotor another suspicious look, Lance opened the bag, peering down inside curiously. There was a small black and white envelope stamped _Sephora_ inside. “You got me a Sephora giftcard?”

 

“I wanted to apologize to you, but I am no good with apologies,” Lotor explained. “But I should not have treated you like I did last week. You were trying to help, which I am not good at accepting help either.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance said, remembering his tearful conversation with Shiro that night “Are you okay?”

 

Lotor's jaw clenched and unclenched, like he was nervous or unsure of his answer. “I am more myself today,” he finally answered. “Will you forgive me?”

 

Lance chewed his bottom lip. If Lotor was apologetic enough to buy him a gift, he supposed it was a special moment. Lotor didn’t seem like the kind of person to buy someone something because he felt guilty. “Yes.”

 

Lotor's body visibly relaxed. “I’ll let you go to class… Will you come over tonight?”

 

“Sure.” Lance nodded.

 

“Good. I’ll be back by eight, stop by.”

 

“I’ll see you tonight.” Lance watched Lotor walk away before eyeballing the giftcard again. Maybe he’d skip class anyway…

 

* * *

  


“Lance, last time I went in there with you, I left looking like I’d been attacked by the makeup racks,” Hunk was saying as Lance gazed up at Sephora like he’d discovered Heaven.

 

No.

 

Sephora was better.

 

“I didn’t want to go alone,” Lance replied. He walked in, knowing Hunk would follow, regardless if he once again ented up as a test subject. There was no indication of how _much_ was on the giftcard, so Lance approached the register to have someone check.

 

“Can I help you?” the girl behind the counter asked.

 

“Ugh, yeah,” Lance said, pulling out the giftcard. “Someone gave this to me as a gift, but I don’t know how much is on it.” He slid the card across the counter to her, leaning against it as she checked.

 

“Five hundred,” she said, after scanning.

 

The world felt like it had stopped for a moment, and he had to mentally rewind the conversation. “I’m sorry, how much?”

 

“Five hundred.”

 

“Dollars?”

 

“Um, yes,” she said, handing it back.

 

Lance turned around to face Hunk in shock, feeling his eye twitch. “Five hundred dollars,” he eventually managed to squeak out.

 

“He must _really_ like you,” Hunk said. “It’s like that time I made Shay that seven layer cake.”

 

“I-I don’t even know where to start… I could buy _anything_.” Lance glanced around the haven of makeup and skincare products. “Hunk,” he squeaked again. “Pinch me.”

 

Hunk pinched his arm and Lance managed to ground himself.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“No problem, man.”

 

Rolling his shoulders back, Lance strutted up to the front. “Okay, let’s do this.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Six…. _seven_ ….” Keith’s arms trembled and he knew he had to stop. He dropped the weight and cried out, his body aching with the pain he’d forced himself to bear. If Shiro had been there, he would have criticized him for going too far, to never continue through the pain, but Shiro wasn’t there and Keith had no off button when it came to working through his feelings.

 

“You’re going to tear your muscles to shreds, you keep doing that,” came a soft voice and Keith slowly looked up to see who was around to bother him this late at night.

 

“Kolivan,” he gasped. Kolivan was a coach for several teams across the university and he also taught martial arts and self defense. Keith had debated on taking the self defense classes, but he’d chickened out; alphas didn’t need self defense classes had been the excuse he’d given himself privately.

 

“You come here every day and you push yourself to a limit and then beyond that limit. It isn’t healthy.” Kolivan walked up to him and offered a hand to help him stand up from where he’d slid to his knees after lifting.

 

Keith accepted Kolivan’s help, allowing the older man to pull him upright. His arms did hurt and so did his chest and his lungs were on fire. He’d forced himself to run on the treadmill for seventy-five minutes before lifting. “I can handle it,” he said angrily.

 

Kolivan crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to rest,” he said gravely. “Especially if you want to stay in top condition. Why do you think our top athletes do not come in here seven days a week? They have off days to help keep them balanced.”

 

“I’m not an athlete,” Keith spat as he turned to find smaller dumbbells to do arm curls.

 

“No,” Kolivan agreed. “You’re not. An athlete would be smart to know his limitations. So, why do you come and work out so hard, then?”

 

“I don’t think I owe you an explanation.” Keith turned his back on Kolivan, his arms tired, so tired he couldn’t even lift a twenty pound dumbbell. _You’re pathetic_.

 

“Keith.”

 

Keith glanced over his shoulder at Kolivan’s sharp tone, feeling small and afraid for a moment. Kolivan had been there for him when Zarkon had kicked him off of the soccer team, offering to keep him trained and ready just in case they needed him again. They hadn’t and Keith hadn’t been able to find another sport to join so late in the game. Kolivan had been there for him when no one else had been.

 

_Except Shiro. Always Shiro_.

 

“Take a break,” Kolivan said, but it sounded like an order.

 

Keith wanted to tell Kolivan he couldn’t tell him what to do, but his body had other ideas. He was so tired, he needed to sit down suddenly, as the world began to spin. “Fuck,” he moaned, shutting his eyes to make it stop.

 

Kolivan was there in a second, kneeling beside him while he leaned against the equipment. “This is what happens when you push too hard.”

 

Keith wanted to bite back, but he couldn’t. He felt as if he were going to faint. Kolivan disappeared from his side, only to return, pressing a cold bottle into his hands. Still not able to open his eyes, Keith untwisted the lid, surprised to realize it was soda and not water, but he drank it slowly anyway.

 

“Coke?” he asked quietly, still surprised.

 

“The sugar will help,” Kolivan said, remaining at his side.

 

There was no arguing with Kolivan, so he drank the soda slowly, until he was finally able to open his eyes and look around again. They were still the only ones in the gym, which he was thankful for. He’d definitely learned a lesson.

 

“Feeling better?”

 

“Yeah.” Keith took another drink, still a bit shaky. “Thanks.”

 

Kolivan stood up, seeming satisfied that Keith wasn’t about to kill himself via working out too hard. “I have a self defense and martial arts class opening up, you should come by. I think there is much you could learn.”

 

“I don’t need those classes,” Keith said, sounding sassier than he’d intended.

 

“No?” Kolivan asked. “I’m sure everyone would benefit from them.”

 

“Alphas don’t need self defense.” Keith stood up and walked over to pick up his bag from the floor, trying not to bend over too fast.

 

“On the contrary,” Kolivan said seriously. “Self-defense is not just for omegas, it is universal and does not care about status. It’s Sunday at six in the auditorium. You should come.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and walked out of the gym. He knew Kolivan meant well, and the guy had always been nice to him, but he wasn’t going to a class where someone could find out the truth about him. The walk back to his dorm felt longer than usual, but his muscles were twitching and aching, and he was dying for a shower. When he made it back to his hallway, he noted that the showers were extremely busy and Keith felt his heart sink. He tried to only shower when it was basically empty, otherwise he ran into the risk of someone seeing him and discovering the truth. There was no hiding it when he was completely naked.

 

The door to his room was already open, as Lance had propped it with a giant textbook he clearly was never going to use. Keith snorted at Lance’s idea of a door stop, figuring Hunk or Pidge were over. However, when he saw who was kissing and making out with Lance by the sink, Keith’s eyebrows rose.

 

“Uh, hi guys,” he said, feeling as if he’d walked in on something he shouldn’t have, his face vaguely red.

 

Lance pulled back from Lotor's mouth, his own face flushed. “Keith- when did you get back?”

 

“Just now,” Keith said slowly. Since when were Lotor and Lance screwing each other?

 

Lotor looked at Keith over his shoulder  and smirked before returning to Lance, kissing his neck instead of his lips. Lance gasped and sighed, letting Lotor do as he pleased. Keith just kept staring, unsure what else to do. It was like going to the fucking zoo, but this was somehow worse.

 

“You should shower,” Lance said to him. “You smell.”

 

“Hush,” Lotor told Lance quietly. “We’re kissing.”

 

“Right.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and went to grab his shower caddy and a towel and some clean clothes. Lotor and Lance had _not_ been what he’d expected and a shot of jealousy ran through him as he realized Lance had managed to snag the guy he’d been pining after before Keith could even get Shiro to give him more than ten minutes of his time. Trudging down the hallway, Keith slowly went into the bathroom, avoiding everyone’s gaze as he waited on a shower.

 

He kept his eyes on the floor for so long, he didn’t even realize Shiro was in the bathroom until he looked up and came to be eye level with Shiro's pecs. “Shiro,” he gasped, his face bright red and his eyes wide.

 

“Hey, Keith,” Shiro said, only wrapped in a towel.

 

_That’s not even fucking fair, I hate him_.

 

“H-hi-..” Keith could _feel_ his pussy getting wet with the need for Shiro's knot, especially since he could see the outline of his dick through the damn towel. “Did you know Lotor and Lance are boning?”

 

Shiro laughed as he used a smaller towel to dry his hair. “Yeah,” he said. “Found out a week ago. I’m okay with it, as long as they’re both happy. Is he here?”

 

Keith nodded, trying not to stare at Shiro so openly, but he was pretty sure everyone in the shower knew he was staring. Shiro's body was still glistening wet from his shower, little droplets running down the back of his neck along his broad shoulders. Keith was dying to lick the water between his shoulder blades.

 

“I’ll have to stop by,” Shiro said. “How have you been? I don’t think we’ve talked in awhile.”

 

“We haven’t,” Keith agreed.

 

“We’ll have to fix-.” Shiro cut off when he heard some yelling in the hallway. He sighed, heading out to see what was going on, leaving Keith to feel lonely and disappointed.

 

_Of course_ , he thought bitterly before claiming a shower stall and snapping the curtain shut so he could undress in privacy. The shower was hot, at least, and the water pressure wasn’t terrible, but he’d heard the upperclassmen dorms had better water pressure, especially the suites and apartments.

 

Keith shampooed his hair, thinking about Shiro in the _shower_ and how good he’d looked coming out of it. The water running down his smooth body, the way his muscles looked when wet and clean. He whimpered as his body flooded with heat and his cunt began to throb with need. He almost sank down to sit and masturbate, but as soon as the thought flickered through his mind, the sound of the fire alarm going off made him yelp. The people left in the showers all groaned and moaned as they had to leave.

 

_No_.

 

Keith knew he didn't have time to dress and he only had one tiny towel to wrap up in. Panicked, he flew out of the shower to wrap his hips up, wanting to find a shirt to throw on, but his hair was still soapy.

 

“Everyone out!” Shiro called into the bathroom, and Keith’s heart sank as he slowly walked out last, feeling extremely self conscious. It felt as if everyone was staring at him. His hands shook as he attempted to keep his towel in place so he didn’t flash everyone and ruin his secret. As he filed out with everyone else, Keith shivered and shook in the cold; it only grew worse when the wind picked up and he feared the worst.

 

Keith stood in the back of the group, trying to not be noticed, but he could hear people giggling and he knew it had to be because of him. The wind was icy against his freezing, bare skin, and tears stung behind his eyes. _Please be over, please be over, please be over_.

 

“Is this a drill?” someone asked.

 

“I wasn’t made aware of one,” Shiro answered.

 

Keith’s heart sank even further. He couldn’t be stuck out here in _just_ a towel.

 

“Hey,” Shiro said, making him look up. Shiro shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around Keith’s shoulders. “Here.”

 

The jacket was so big it covered him all the way down to his thighs, which made Keith feel better and less paranoid. Plus, it was warm and it smelled so strongly of Shiro, he had a feeling Shiro would have to fight him to get it back. “Thanks,” he said quietly, trying not to appear as if he’d been about to start crying.

 

“Last year,” Shiro said, as he leaned back against a car. “I was stuck out in the dead of winter in just a towel. It was _terrible_. We were out there for a good… twenty minutes, I think.”

 

“That sucks,” Keith said, his voice shaking from being cold still. Keith’s eyes floated around for Lance and Lotor, eventually spotting them by the trees behind the building. Lotor had his arms wrapped around Lance, while Lance was trying to burrow into Lotor's coat.

 

“It did,” Shiro said with a laugh. “The residents enjoyed it, however. Not really sure why.”

 

Keith snorted and looked at Shiro in just a t-shirt and sweatpants. It was a good look. “You don’t know why? Have you looked in a mirror?”

 

Shiro blushed and ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I just mean, I’m not… as great as people seem to think I am.”

 

“You are,” Keith said quickly and then tried to backpedal, but he’d already said it. “I just mean… You’re really-.”

  
  
“Shiro,” Allura, another RA in the building said, blissfully interrupting Keith. “Sorry to interrupt, but they wanted us to tell our residents that they should go to the student center. The fire department has to show up and clear the building before we’re allowed back inside.”

 

“Someone burn popcorn?” Shiro asked tiredly.

 

“I don’t know,” Allura said, heading over to her floor of residents.

 

“Well,” Shiro said with a sigh. “That stinks.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith said, clearly annoyed he had to stay _naked_.

 

“Lotor,” Shiro called, gesturing them over.

 

Lotor guided Lance over to them, raising a well shaped eyebrow. “Yes, Obi-Wan?”

 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “We’re probably locked out for a while. The fire department has to get here and clear the building. They said to go to the student center, but could you take Lance and Keith the House? Keith has no clothes.”

 

Lotor smirked, clearly amused by that. “Sure. Are you coming?” he asked Shiro.

 

“I need to round up the rest of my floor… Be nice.”

 

Lotor mock saluted Shiro, while he led Lance toward a sharp black car. Keith followed, still wearing Shiro's jacket and trying to hold his towel up. It was so fucking _cold_. The car was nice on the outside but even nicer on the inside, except Keith gulped seeing it was a two door car, meaning he would have to climb into the back, without pants on.

 

“Lance, will you sit in the back?”

 

“What? No way!” Lance snapped, glowering.

 

“Please?” Keith asked quietly. “I’m not exactly _dressed_ to be bending over.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself as he climbed into the back of the car, leaving Keith to put the seat back in place so he could carefully slide in and shut the door, feeling paranoid, even in Lotor's car. He kept his towel around his hips and his legs tightly shut.

 

“Shy, Kogane?” Lotor asked with a wink as he turned the car on. Taylor Swift’s new single, _Look What You Made Me Do_ came through the speakers, followed by the blast of warm air, as Lotor turned on the heat. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised Lotor liked Taylor Swift, nor was he surprised when Lance gasped and began to sing along.

 

“Shut up,” he told Lotor as they drove away from the dorm and down the street to Gamma Epsilon’s House.

 

Lotor chuckled as he drove, the car purring beneath them. “Haven’t seen you at a rush event lately,” Lotor said as he pulled into the driveway to park behind another shiny, fancy car. “There’s one this weekend, you should be there.”

 

“I don’t appreciate hazing,” Keith replied darkly. He remembered how Lance had gone to a party the night before and had come home with weird words written on his body in permanent marker. Lance had told him it was just a game they’d been playing, but Keith knew better. Lance would do anything to get into the fraternity and the members took advantage of that; the fact that Lotor even let some of the things be written on Lance was telling and he wasn’t sure he would support them being together if Lotor was going to let Lance be hazed.

 

“We don’t haze,” Lotor replied as he got out of the car, helping Lance from the back seat. “Hazing is something you make people do, we never make anyone do anything.”

 

“Yeah, right,” Keith whispered, following them inside.

 

“ _Hey_ , it’s servant boy,” Ezor, one of Lotor's friends, said with a huge smile. She clearly meant Lance. “You know, I have _so_ much laundry to put away, will you do it for me, Lancy? I’ll throw in my vote to get you a bid.”

 

Keith shot her a death glare before looking at Lotor expectantly. “You don’t haze though,” Keith snapped.

 

Lotor didn’t say anything, going upstairs. Lance looked torn, wanting to follow Lotor but also wanting to help Ezor and Keith’s heart shattered a little. It was disgusting.

 

“What do you say, Lancy?” Ezor asked. “You’re my _favorite_ rushing this year. You do everything we ask. It’s so refreshing.”

 

“Lance,” Keith hissed. “You’re better than this. Just ignore her.”

 

Lotor returned with a bundle of clothes, handing them over to Keith. “Lance doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to,” he said, going to sit on a couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “If Lance wishes to help Ezor, he can, but we don’t _make_ anyone do anything.”

 

“No, you just _strongly suggest_ , right?” Keith asked, feeling anger boil under his skin. Suddenly, he hated Lotor and all of his ugly friends. “Lance, come on, we don’t have to take this. You don’t have to take this.”

 

“Keith,” Lance hissed. “It’s fine.”

 

Keith watched as Lance walked up to Ezor and she grinned. “It’s upstairs, babydoll, my room has my name on it. Big pink basket, you can’t miss it. Now, make sure to separate by color and fold it perfect or I’ll just have to do it all over again.”

 

“Okay,” Lance said, heading upstairs.

 

Keith followed, only so he could find a bathroom to finally dress in. Once he was clothed and he’d used a towel and some water to get the soap out of his hair, Keith went to find Lance. He was in Ezor’s room, in all of its pink and girly glory, folding her laundry carefully and slowly. It made Keith’s eye twitch.

 

“Lance,” he said. “You don’t have to be their servant, that’s ridiculous.”

 

“I don’t mind. Stop ruining this for me,” Lance said angrily.

 

“If Lotor really cared about _you_ , he wouldn’t let this happen to you. He would put his foot down, but he must only want you for the sex.”

 

Lance threw a bundle of socks at him, angry. “Shut up. Go away, I’m _busy_.”

 

Keith kicked the little thing of socks away before he stomped back downstairs, wanting to punch Lotor in his pretty face. The guy was a dick. They were sitting in the living room still, Lotor was talking about Lance’s privates in a way that even made his friends blush.

 

“He doesn’t shut up, however,” Lotor was saying sadly, as if it was the most awful thing. “I was licking his pretty cunt last night and he just.. _talks_. The entire time.”

 

Ezor laughed while she was moving her hands quickly, another girl was holding her hand, feeling each movement. Keith realized Ezor was signing and the girl next to her, Narti, was feeling each sign to interpret them.

 

“What are you staring at?” Ezor asked. “Narti’s deaf and blind, but she’s not stupid.”

 

“I wasn’t… I didn’t think that,” Keith said angrily.

 

“Keith thinks he’s better than us,” Acxa said, lounging beside Lotor casually.

 

“I just think you guys should follow the hazing policy,” Keith replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “And you should probably stop talking about Lance like he’s a piece of meat.”

 

“I didn't think you were so defensive of him,” Lotor replied. “How quaint.”

 

“You’re a piece of work,” Keith said, his eyes narrowed. “Lance really likes you and you’re fucking using him. He deserves better than that, even if he annoys me, he deserves better than _you_.”

 

Keith only shut up when he heard Lance come down the stairs, his task complete. He appeared around the corner, clearly eager to do more, but when Ezor opened her mouth, Lotor placed a hand on her arm to quiet her.

 

“Is that it?” Lance asked, rocking on the balls of his feet.

 

“Yes,” Lotor said, before he stood up. “Thank you, Lance, but that’s enough.”

 

Keith continued to glare at Lotor, hoping he could _feel_ the daggers he was throwing.

 

“Oh,” Lance said, disappointed.

 

“Let’s go upstairs,” Lotor countered, placing a hand on his lower back.

 

Keith watched them go, not stopping the cold look as they headed upstairs to be alone. Keith shot Lotor's friends another hard look as well. When Lance was gone, Keith left the house, deciding to walk back to his dorm instead. By now, he’d hoped, the fire department had given them the all clear. Fiddling with his phone, Keith debated on texting Shiro and telling him about how Lotor was treating Lance, but he held back. There was only so much Shiro could do and he had a feeling it wouldn’t stop Lotor in the long run. Plus, Lance didn’t want his help anyway.

 

Shiro was standing outside still, leaning back against a tree out front, his eyes glued to his phone when Keith returned. “Hey, you’re back. Did Lance stay with Lotor?”

 

“Yeah,” Keith said with a shrug. “Probably going to make out some more.”

 

Shiro smirked. “Probably, yes,” he said. “I’ve never seen him dote on someone before, it’s different.”

 

Keith snorted and rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “Yeah, well, don’t get too excited.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

He shook his head. “Nothing. Just… Don’t be shocked if it’s short lived. Can we go back inside yet?”

 

“Soon, I think they’re almost done.” Shiro ran his hands through his hair, looking as bored as Keith felt. “Sorry your shower was ruined.”

 

He shrugged. “It’s whatever.”

 

The tug and pull of a black cloud was swirling over Keith’s head; he wanted to go inside so he could sleep. Now that the adrenaline from the gym had worn off, his mood was quickly fading and going back to where he’d been earlier. He stared at the ground, just waiting for the all clear.

 

“Are you alright, Keith?” Shiro asked.

 

“Yeah,” he lied. “Just tired.” Shiro didn’t need to know about his problems, and he didn't have time for them anyway.

 

“Me, too,”  Shiro said with a sigh. “I was hoping to actually nap today. I’ve been so busy with classes and events and rushing and student meetings- It’s a lot. Not that I mind, I like being busy, I’m just worn out.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith said in understanding. He was always worn out these days.

 

“What are you doing for winter break?” Shiro asked.

 

“I’m staying on campus,” Keith said. “Are you staying?” Maybe if Shiro was on campus during winter break, they’d finally have a chance to talk.

 

“No,” Shiro said with a relieved chuckle. “No, I have a place to go back to. Lotor and I rent a place during breaks together, so I’ll be heading back there.”

 

“Oh.” Keith looked down at the ground again. Shiro was going to be gone for six weeks - _six whole weeks_. The thought made Keith feel extremely tired and sad. He’d be alone for six weeks. It would be like old times before coming to college.

 

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it, I need a break.” Shiro saw them give the all clear and they headed back inside together.

 

“Is it far from here?” Keith asked. Maybe he would get to visit instead.

 

“The place I live? No, not too far, about an hour,” Shiro said.

 

_Too far_ , Keith realized sadly. He had to take the bus and he knew he wouldn’t have money to get there. “That’s neat,” he lied.

 

Shiro nodded, yawning. “I’m going to take a short nap here, I think.”

 

“Okay.” Keith went back to his room without saying anything else to Shiro, closing his door firmly. He, too, went to climb in bed, burying himself under his blankets. He was tired and his body felt heavy, like there was a weight on his chest.

 

Six weeks without Shiro.

 

Dying sounded better.


	5. Chapter 5

_Lance really likes you_.

 

Lotor's fingers were running through Lance’s hair post sex with him, while Lance slept off the hard workout he’d been through. He couldn’t shake Keith Kogan’s words - they were haunting him in a way that he hadn’t expected.

 

_Lance really likes you and you’re using him_.

 

Lotor had never wanted to use people, unless it was for his own gain and he disliked that person, but he didn’t dislike Lance. In fact, Lotor found himself thinking about Lance very often; looking at his tweets on Twitter and liking his photos on Instagram. He’d never _dated_ someone before, he’d only slept with people, but he always wanted Lance to come over and to take Lance out places. He held Lance’s hand, he didn’t want Lance to leave in the mornings.

 

Lotor stared up at the ceiling, wondering if he was taking things too far with Lance in regards to the fraternity. Hazing was illegal on campus and while they had two strikes, he never thought they’d ever be disbanded. That is, until he met Keith Kogane. If anyone was willing to tattle on him, it was Keith, and he knew they would be disbanded from campus and it would not only crush him, but it would crush Lance.

 

Gamma Epsilon was all he had and Lance was so desperate to be a part of it.

 

Lotor's eyes flickered down to how peaceful Lance seemed in his sleep and he smiled softly. He was so beautiful, even without pounds of makeup, he looked unattainable. Too pretty, even for him to keep. He did agree with Keith that Lance deserved _better_ , but not for the reasons Keith was spewing about. No, he believed Lance deserved better than him because he was a shadow of his father, and even a shadow was too much.

 

_Lance really likes you_.

 

Lotor shut his eyes and pulled Lance closer.

 

_Lance really likes you- and you… you really like him._  


	6. Chapter 6

Halloween on campus was one giant party that Keith had no desire to partake in. Lance was at Gamma Epsilon, per usual, and probably doing something he had no desire to do but would do it just to please the members. Before he’d left, Lance had posed for a few selfies in front of the mirror to show off his slutty costume. He’d dressed like a cowboy, at least that’s what Keith had deduced from the hat and boots. The rest of his outfit had been up for debate, since it had barely covered up anything at all.

 

Keith refused to celebrate Halloween, he didn’t even have a costume. The only plans he had for the night were to sit on his bed and watch a movie, buried under six blankets because the heater in their dorm had quit working, and all of the rooms were freezing cold. The good thing about Lance being gone, was Keith could sit almost naked and be cozy and comfortable.

 

Shiro had been continuing to blow him off, even if it wasn’t intentional.

 

Every time he found Shiro alone, someone interrupted or Shiro had to run off to class or do homework or study for a test or he had an event for Alpha Omega to oversee. Keith had quit rushing either fraternity, he was too tired and numb to try to socialize with anyone. He barely had the energy to get up and go to the gym or go to class; he’d skipped four classes throughout the week and his grades were slipping.

 

He just didn't care.

 

Nothing mattered anymore. He had no friends, no family, and no one to talk to about the issues he was having. Lance was too self absorbed, Shiro was too busy, and he didn’t really know anyone else. Netflix warranted nothing good, so Keith put on a TV show he’d seen a million times just so he had something on in the background.

 

The sound of someone knocking made Keith slowly slide out of bed and walk over to peer through the little peep hole, expecting to see someone looking for Lance. It was Hunk and Pidge, so Keith pulled the door open.

 

“Happy Halloween!’ Hunk said with a huge smile. He was dressed like a vampire, complete with cape and fake fangs, which he pulled out of his mouth so he could talk more easily. “Hey, Keith, is Lance here?”

 

“He went to Gamma Epsilon,” Keith said.

 

“Oh,” Pidge and Hunk said together, looking disappointed.

 

“I _told_ you,” Pidge hissed.

 

Hunk shrugged. “I thought he’d remember.”

 

“Remember what?” Keith asked.

 

“Every Halloween we get together and do a movie night. We dress up and watch the classics - Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Nightmare Before Christmas, My Babysitter’s a Vampire,” Hunk explained slowly. “He must have forgot.”

 

“Of _course_ he did, he’s got a boyfriend now,” Pidge said, rolling her eyes dramatically.

 

Keith felt sad for them; they were losing their friend over something as trivial as a fraternity and as big of a dick as Lotor. Before he could stop himself Keith said, “I’m not busy.”

 

“For what?” Hunk asked.

 

“The… the movie night… I could come…” He didn’t want to sound _desperate_ for friends, but God, he was desperate for something other than his own internal thoughts.

 

“What if we just crashed the party?” Pidge said, even as Hunk opened his mouth to say something else.

 

“Whoa- what? I was just going to invite Keith the party, why do you want to crash Gamma Epsilon’s party?” Hunk asked nervously. “That sounds bad, Pidge.”

 

“So we can _drag_ Lance back to movie night. He can’t just blow us off like this.”

 

“Keith can be Lance,” Hunk said desperately.

 

“No Keith can’t be Lance, Keith’s… _Keith_ ,” Pidge argued. “No offense Keith, you’re just not as fun as Lance is- I just mean- you’re quiet and Lance isn’t.”

 

Keith looked down, not surprised they didn’t want him at their movie night. Pidge was right, he wasn't very fun at all. “It’s okay,” he said, going to shut the door.

 

“Wait!” Pidge said, stopping him by putting her hand on the door. “I didn’t say you couldn’t come, just that you couldn’t _be_ Lance. Do you have a costume?”

 

“No..”

 

“Hm, that’s a problem. The party requires a costume… Hunk, any ideas?”

 

Hunk tilted his head and looked Keith over. Suddenly, Keith felt very nervous. “Yeah,” he said with a grin. “I got one.”

 

Keith suddenly didn’t want to go anywhere at all. Ever again. “Um, I think I’ll just say home. You guys can crash the party without me…”

 

“ _Please_ come?” Pidge begged as Hunk made his way into Keith’s room.

 

Keith stood off to the side, no idea what was about to happen. He crossed his arms in front of his body, realizing suddenly he was only wearing a really long t-shirt and absolutely _nothing_ else. He’d forgotten to put on pants when he answered the door. _Or underwear_ , he thought nervously.

 

Hunk was digging around in Lance’s closet, finally popping back out with an outfit that looked like very little fabric. “Tada!”

 

“What… is that?” Keith asked, his eyes narrowing at the little outfit he doubted would fit anyone at all, let alone him or even Lance. Despite Lance being an omega, he was extremely well built with lean muscle from dancing, running, and working out.

 

“It’s one of Lance’s old dance costumes. You can be a dancer for Halloween,” Hunk said with a huge proud smile.

 

“No,” Keith said sternly. He wasn’t about to leave in _that_. There would be no doubt he wasn’t an Alpha in that thing.

 

Hunk sighed, turning to dig around in Lance’s clothes again, tossing stuff around the room. “Lance has too many outfits!” he yelled as he continued to search.

 

Keith desperately wanted to hide in their bathroom so he could at least put on a pair of pants, but he couldn’t duck out without being suspicious, so he just stood feeling uncomfortable instead.

 

“Hunk, hurry up,” Pidge said, sitting down in Lance’s desk chair.

 

Hunk finally popped back out, returning with tiny black shorts, a blank tank top, a light pink sweater, and leg warmers. “Look, all I can think of is you dressing like a dancer,” Hunk said. “Come on, Keith, it’s a _costume_. You don’t have to wear it all the time.”

 

Keith glared a little at Hunk, but he snatched the clothes from Hunk’s hands. He had a feeling Lance wouldn’t like him wearing his clothes, but Keith went to the bathroom to put them on anyway. “I don’t have any-.” He cut off as Hunk had appeared with a pair of ballet flats that were worn. “I’m not wearing his shoes.”

 

“They’re old, he never wears them.”

 

Keith sighed, sitting down to pull them on, glad they weren’t the real things that tied up his legs, pulling the leg warmers on last. He felt and looked ridiculous, but Keith told himself it was just for the night. It wasn’t like he had to wear this stuff all the time. Running a brush through his hair, Keith grabbed his badge and keys. “Okay, I'm ready, can we go now?”

 

“Yes, let’s roll,” Hunk said with a smile.

 

Keith sighed, feeling exposed as he followed them, locking the door. They trekked across campus, and Keith was shivering by the time they reached Gamma Epsilon’s House. The leg warmers were the only good thing about the outfit, but the rest of him was _freezing_ , and the shorts were _too_ short. He felt as if his ass were hanging out.

 

He felt like an omega.

 

It didn’t help that he couldn’t seem to grow leg hair or hair _anywhere_ else for that matter, except for his damn vagina, but he hoped no one noticed. The House was, of course, completely loud and bumping, full of people in costumes. Following Pidge and Hunk inside, they kept their eyes for Lance or Lotor. It was Pidge who spotted him, and Keith was set to follow until his eyes fell on Shiro.

 

_Shiro_.

 

He hadn’t even seen Shiro in a few days and he froze on the spot, staring at how he was dressed. Shiro usually had on clothes that weren’t _too_ tight, since he didn’t like to show off, but he must have thrown that policy out the window on Halloween. He was dressed in an extremely tight, black shirt that was almost see-through it was so tight. He could definitely see his nipples through the fabric. It was paired with casual camo pants and black combat boots. The look was so _good_ that it made Keith wet.

 

Shiro was leaning back against the wall, talking to someone, when they locked eyes from across the room. Keith’s legs were shaking and his pussy began to throb and ache so much, he squeezed his thighs together to try to make it _stop_ . Shiro flashed an award-winning smile and waved him over. _I’m gonna die_ , Keith thought. His legs moved before his brain did, walking right up to Shiro like he wasn’t trying to hide.

 

“Wow,” Shiro said, his eyes roaming over Keith’s body. “I like the costume.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith said breathlessly, his own eyes unable to stop staring at Shiro's nipples. “Me, too.”

 

Shiro blushed and coughed, trying to appear smaller. “Are you a ballet dancer?”

 

“Yeah- it wasn’t my idea,” he said quickly. “Hunk and Pidge wanted to crash the party- why are you here anyway? Doesn’t Alpha Omega have their own parties?”

 

“We do,” Shiro said. “But Lotor invited me, so I thought I’d come.”

 

If Keith had known _that_ , he would have shown up a lot earlier with Lance. “Oh, I didn’t know you were invited.”

 

Shiro nodded. “He invites me every year,” he replied. “I’m glad you came.”

 

“Yeah, me too.” Keith stood closer to Shiro, breathing in the smell of his cologne. Shiro was a _god_.

 

“Why did Pidge and Hunk want to crash the party?”

 

“Well, they came for Lance,” Keith explained. “He blew them off.”

 

“Oh.” Shiro looked away from Keith to look around the party, pointing them out to Keith.

 

Lance was lounging on Lotor's lap, while he listened to Pidge and Hunk chew him out, but it looked more like begging and pleading. Lotor leaned into Lance to say something to him and Lance smiled and they kissed. When Lance stood up, he was following Pidge and Hunk toward the front. Keith was more surprised when Lotor stood and started to walk over to them.

 

“Shiro-... Keith,” Lance said, surprised to see him. “Interesting costume.”

 

Keith glowered up at Lotor, arms crossed over his chest. He still didn’t like him. “Lotor.”

 

“We were just invited to another party,” Lotor told Shiro. “Would you like to join us?”

 

“What kind of party?” Shiro asked.

 

“The kind where you don’t have to yell to be heard.” Lotor gestured for them to follow and Shiro did without question.

 

Keith stammered and realized, once again, he’d been left. Once again, Shiro couldn’t give him more than five fucking minutes. The heat he’d been feeling from arousal began to make his blood boil in anger and anxiety. He followed the others out more slowly since he had no idea if he’d also been invited. Maybe he didn’t even _care_.

 

“Keith,” Shiro called, pausing on the sidewalk to look for him. “Are you coming?”

 

Keith gulped and sped up to follow them. “I didn’t know if I was invited.”

 

“Of course,” Shiro said, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “Are you cold?”

 

“I’m fine,” Keith lied, but he didn’t pull out of Shiro's grasp either. “Lotor really wants to leave his own party to watch not scary Halloween movies?”

 

Shiro chuckled as they walked together. “Well, a secret about Lotor is he actually hates loud parties. He’s partially deaf in one ear and has a hard time hearing people.”

 

“Then why do they have parties like that?”

 

“It’s expected,” Shiro said. “But he’ll do anything to get away from them.”

 

Keith turned his eyes on Lotor, who was walking with Lance hand in hand, while Pidge and Hunk were talking about something nerdy probably. To Lotor's credit, he was listening and actively participating, and Keith hadn’t seen Lance do something _weird_ for Gamma Epsilon all week. Maybe yelling at Lotor had finally made him wake up and realize he was being an asshole.

 

“Why is he partially deaf?” Keith asked.

 

“Not my story to tell,” Shiro said, which was the second time he’d said that about Lotor to him.

 

Keith frowned, wondering if it had to do with Zarkon. He’d seen Lotor and Zarkon interact once on campus; it had been during soccer training. Lotor was on the team and had clearly been unhappy his father was named coach. They were extremely antagonistic towards each other, but Lotor was always polite in how he spoke to his father, while Zarkon tore Lotor down in front of everyone without a second thought. In fact, if Keith remembered correctly, Lotor had quit the team shortly after he’d been asked to leave.

 

“Come on, losers!” Lance called over his shoulder. “You’re being slow!”

 

“You can wait a few more seconds, Lance,” Shiro said as they finally reached the dorm again.

 

“Should we set up in our room?” Pidge asked. “Or use the student lounge?”

 

“The lounge will be better,” Shiro said. “More room.”

 

“But less cozy,” Hunk pointed out. “We have awesome beanbags and a blanket fort.”

 

Lance gasped in horror. “You guys… made a blanket fort... without _me_?”

 

“Hey, you ditched _us_ ,” Pidge pointed out. “Let’s watch in our room.”

 

“Blanket fort! Blanket fort!” Lance was practically dancing he was so excited as they went up to the fifth floor.

 

The blanket fort was _huge_ , but Pidge and Hunk had one of the largest room in the dorm, so Keith wasn’t surprised. It was basically the entire room, held up by chairs, bookcases, and the television. Shiro had to duck so he didn’t knock it down, and there were pillows, blankets, and soft things all over the floor to stretch out on. Lotor and Lance were quick to become cozy together on the floor, and Hunk’s girlfriend Shay was already there waiting on them, annoyed they’d taken so long, but happy to see Lance. She’d been waiting with Pidge’s brother, Matt, and Keith watched as a lot of the floor space was taken up by snuggling couples or a brother and sister who were quietly arguing about candy.

 

Keith noted Shiro was tucking himself into a corner up against the bed, grabbing a few pillows to make himself comfy. He patted the spot beside him and Keith swallowed a lump in his throat. Sitting down beside Shiro was either going to be a mistake or the best decision he’d ever made, but Keith did it regardless. Not sitting beside Shiro would have been weirder.

 

They put the first movie on and everyone was quickly enraptured, all except Keith, who was too focused on how Shiro was breathing, how he smelled so good, and how he made every omega instinct inside him stand up and scream. Throughout the first two movies, Keith couldn’t focus on anything except how hot his skin felt and how warm the blanket fort was becoming. He also noted that Lance and Lotor were casually making out and so were Shay and Hunk. Pidge was playing a handheld video game and Matt was asleep. Shiro was the only one watching the movie.

 

Keith slid a little closer to Shiro, feeling cold, still. “Shiro,” he whispered.

 

“Hm?”

 

Keith wanted to finally tell him - tell him how he felt, tell him _everything_ , the desire was so overwhelming, but the only thing he managed to say was, “I have to pee.”

 

“Oh,” Shiro said. He shifted a little so Keith could crawl out of the fort and flee the room. Keith rushed out into the hall to take a deep breath, slowly turning his eyes to the doors that would take him to the roof. He wasn’t allowed out there, but that didn’t stop him from pushing it open and heading up one more flight of steps and outside into the night air.

 

Once he was outside, Keith managed to take a long deep breath and slowly let it out again. The fort had been too hot, Shiro had been too hot, everything had been too hot. Keith stared down at the campus from his vantage point, an immediate thought coming to mind to jump, but he pushed it away.

 

Part of Keith wanted to go back downstairs and rejoin the party now that he was collected, but he was too afraid what he would tell Shiro. It wasn’t time to tell him, it wasn’t time to tell anyone but especially not Shiro. If Shiro knew he was an omega, he may not look at him the same way again, and Keith wasn’t ready to handle that sort of rejection. If Shiro found out, then Lotor would potentially find out, and then Lance, and then literally everyone else on campus.

 

It wasn’t time.

 

“Keith?”

 

Keith startled, spinning around to face Shiro with wide eyes. “Shiro… _Why_ do you always do that?”

 

Shiro held up his hands in defense. “I didn't mean to that time,” he said. “Why are you up here?”

 

“How did you know I came up here?” Keith asked.

 

“I checked the bathroom and then when you weren’t there, I just… figured you might come up here,” Shiro said slowly. “Are you alright?”

 

Keith glanced over the edge of the dorm and realized Shiro might be thinking he was going to jump, so he stepped away to give him some peace of mind. “I’m fine, I just got hot in there, that’s all.”

 

“Oh.” Shiro's shoulders relaxed and he looked relieved. “Come back downstairs, we’re going to put on another movie.”

 

_Tell him you like him. Just tell him._ “Shiro,” he said quickly.

 

“Hm?”

 

Keith bit his lip and closed the distance between them quickly. “I…”

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

_Just do it. Just tell him. Just tell him. Just._

 

Keith kissed Shiro on the lips quickly, so fast he wasn't even sure it happened, until he saw how red Shiro's cheeks were when he pulled back. “Uh- no- just- sorry-..” Keith tried to run away, going for the door, but Shiro grabbed his arm and spun him back around for another kiss.

 

A _real_ kiss.

 

Shiro's mouth felt so good against his, the way his tongue pressed against his lips, and how eager he was to let him in. The strength of Shiro's arms around him and how their bodies molded together as if it had always been meant to be. When they finally parted for breath, Keith gazed into Shiro's grey eyes and felt something akin to _home_ and _happiness_.

 

“Wow,” Shiro whispered.

 

Keith nodded, still speechless. “S-sorry.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I- should have.. asked…”

 

Shiro's face broke out into a smile and he pressed his forehead to Keith’s. “I’m glad you didn’t. Would have given me a chance to think it through. I might have missed out if I’d thought I was taking advantage of my resident.”

 

Keith blushed and buried his face in Shiro's neck, glad for his girth and warmth.  “It can be a secret.”

 

Shiro squeezed him, lifting him off his feet completely as they hugged. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Let’s go finish the movie.”

 

Shiro let him go and Keith felt a bit empty when their embrace ended. It felt so _good_ , he didn’t want it to stop. He didn’t want Shiro to tell him _no_ because he was technically his RA. He just hoped by morning, Shiro didn’t change his mind.

 

They walked back down together, their hands brushing against his each other’s as they did, faint smiles on their faces.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry i've been very busy my mom's in the hospital so i haven't had time to update :/

“Can you fucking believe it  _ snowed _ ?” Lance asked as they walked toward Gamma Epsilon. 

 

Keith didn’t respond, just kept his hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground as they trudged through the snow. November had started with a snow storm and neither of them were happy about it. The other thing he was unhappy about was how Shiro had told him they’d  _ talk _ and yet there had been no talking about the kiss or anything else. It was putting Keith into a black mood and he was starting to spiral out of control.  Maybe Shiro regretted the kiss and didn’t want anything more to do with him or maybe he was with someone else.

 

“Keith,” Lance said. “Are you listening at all?” 

 

“No,” Keith admitted. 

 

“It’s  _ snowed _ ,” Lance said, kicking some of the snow out of the way as they trudged along. “But it’s almost bid day, thanks for coming with me, I know you’re not a fan anymore.” 

 

Keith shrugged a little. “It gives me something to do,” he said sourly as they walked. 

 

There were a few people waiting outside the House when they arrived, while Lotor was nowhere to be found. Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor were outside however, holding snow shovels. Keith raised an eyebrow at the sight, confused at what was going on. “Why are we here again?” 

 

“I dunno, I got a text saying the possible pledges were wanted at the House for one more rush event. It would help them decide who would be getting bids,” Lance said with a shrug. 

 

“Good, you’re all here,” Ezor said with a grin that made Keith feel uncertain. “So, the  _ final _ task is so simple anyone could do it.”

 

“Where’s Lotor?” Keith whispered to Lance, who only shrugged unsure. “He wasn’t the one who texted you?” 

 

“No,” Lance whispered back. 

 

“ _ Guess _ what you’ll be doing today?” Ezor giggled. 

 

“Shoveling the walkway,” Acxa replied. “But there’s always a catch.” 

 

“Those of you are  _ truly _ committed to Gamma Epsilon will shovel the walkway… in your underwear. It will finally truly  _ show us _ who really wants to be here and who… just doesn’t.” Ezor giggled again and tossed the shovels on the ground. “Have fun, pipsqueaks.” 

 

Keith’s eyebrows went up. “I’m out of here,” he said. “Come on, Lance.” 

 

Lance stammered, clearly unsure what to do. “I…”

 

“Lance, it’s freezing outside and it’s snowing, let’s just go.” Keith tried to get Lance to walk away but Lance was already starting to disrobe. “Lance!” 

 

“I have to,” Lance said, stripping down to the bright pink underwear he had on. The girls immediately began to laugh and Keith sighed, slapping himself in the forehead. 

 

Several others did the same and Lotor's  _ generals _ as some people called them, were clearly having a great time, laughing and giggling, enjoying their power over the wannabe pledges. Keith pulled out his phone to snap a photo and a quick video for proof as he frowned. Once the video was complete, he took off back toward campus and the administration buildings. They couldn’t get away with this –– this was too far. 

 

Allura was sitting inside the building, her hair up in a pretty braid, talking to her friends. Keith walked up to her, leaning against the desk. “Hey,” he said. “You’re the President of the Greek Council, right?” 

 

“Hello, Keith,” Allura said with a smile. “I am. What’s going on?” 

 

“It’s Gamma Epsilon. They have guys out front of the house in their underwear shoveling the driveway in the cold.” 

 

Keith watched Allura’s face change, going from calm and collected, to clearly angry as she stood up to yank her coat on and wrapping a scarf around her neck. “Are they now?” she asked sharply. “Well, I guess this is the third and final strike for Gamma Epsilon. I’ve told them and  _ told them _ . Hazing is illegal in the  _ state _ and this campus.” 

 

“I have evidence, too, if that helps,” Keith said, showing her the photos. 

 

Allura glared and huffed, mumbling to herself as she walked toward the door, slamming it behind her.  Keith watched her go, starting to feel an immediate guilt trip; he didn’t want Lance to be angry but he also didn’t want him to have frostbite from doing something stupid. Keith shoved his hands back into his pockets, heading out of the office toward Gamma Epsilon again. 

 

When he arrived, Allura was there, her finger in Lotor's face, glaring up at him, while Lotor looked… confused? Upset? He couldn’t quite place the emotions Lotor was expressing. It was as if he didn’t know about the entire event that had taken place. 

 

“Allura,” Lotor said as Keith approached, clearly trying to calm her down. “I did not know about this. I wasn’t even here-.” 

 

“They’re your people,” Allura spat. “You hazed students one too many times. I’m writing you up and you will go in front of the Greek Student Council, where you get to defend your sorry self.” Allura walked away, still seething and red in the face with anger. 

 

Lotor stared after her, his face lost and angry, before he turned back to look at the girls who were standing on the porch fairly speechless. “Get dressed. All of you,” Lotor snapped at the kids still in their underwear, before turning on his friends. “You three, living room. Now.” 

 

Lotor stormed into the house, while Lance was dressing in the snow, clearly shivering and almost blue he was so cold. Keith approached, picking up Lance’s scarf. “Here,” he said. 

 

“Did you tell Allura about this?” Lance asked, his eyes wide with anger. “It had to be you, right? That’s where you went?” 

 

“I  _ had _ to!” Keith exclaimed. “Lance, you were freezing and from the looks of it, Lotor didn’t even know about this, so maybe Allura will take it easy on him.” 

 

“They won’t,” Lance snapped. “And it’s because of  _ you _ there may not  _ be _ a Gamma Epsilon anymore! Meaning all of this was for nothing! My life has no meaning without this! You’re fucking selfish.” Lance stormed away, almost slipping and falling on ice that was starting to build up. 

 

“Lance-.” 

 

“Don’t talk to me again.” 

 

Keith sighed, glancing up at the sky, wondering if a higher power would give him help or strength. Lance walked away and Keith looked back at the house, where he could actually hear Lotor losing his shit inside, before it grew extremely quiet and he couldn’t decide if Lotor had killed them and then himself or he’d finally went upstairs. Shoulders slumping, Keith followed in Lance’s footsteps, knowing he had to try to mend the situation but he had no idea how. Shiro, however, might have advice. 

 

 

  * __Shiro I might have messed up__


  * **What’s wrong?**


  * _I told Allura about some hazing stuff going on at Gamma Epsilon and now she’s having Lotor go against some type of Council thing and Lance is furious and I don’t know what to do_


  * **The first thing you have to do is calm down. Where are you?**


  * _Walking back from the house, should I talk to lance some more? I don’t know what to do, Shirt - SHIRO_


  * **Come back to the dorm, I’ll go talk to Lotor, you can talk to Lance. Ok?**


  * _Ok_



 

 

Keith did as Shiro said, walking back to the dorm and into the room he shared with Lance. “Lance?” 

 

“I said don’t talk to me,” Lance said, lying on his bed, glaring at the ceiling. 

 

“Lance, c’mon,” Keith said as he walked up to the bunk bed, dropping his bag on the floor. “I did it to help you.” 

 

“No you didn’t,” Lance snapped, sitting up and jumping off the bed, shoving Keith back against the wardrobe. 

 

Keith gasped as he crashed back into the door, knocking the wind from his lungs. “Fuck-  _ Lance _ !” 

 

“That’s the least you deserve,” Lance snapped. “I should beat your ass.” 

 

“Lance-.” Keith cut off when Lance drove his foot right between his legs. It hurt, but it didn’t hurt the way Lance probably expected. “What the  _ hell _ , man?!” 

 

Lance blinked and stared, confused. “You… should have dropped… Didn’t that  _ hurt _ ?” 

 

“Yes,” Keith said with gritted teeth, worried that Lance would put two and two together faster than he gave him credit. 

 

“Holy shit, you- are not… an alpha- I  _ knew _ it!” Lance gasped, jumping back, his face a mask of shock. “You’re an  _ omega _ , aren’t you?!” 

 

Keith stared down at the carpet, leaning back against the wardrobe still. “Yes,” he said. “Please, don’t tell anyone.” 

 

“Holy  _ shit _ ,” Lance gasped, completely stunned. “I mean, I sort of… kinda thought maybe you were lying, but  _ shit _ .” 

 

“Lance,  _ please _ , don’t tell anyone,” Keith begged. He hated begging, but he would beg Lance to keep his mouth shut if he had to. “You’re the only one who knows.” 

 

“Holy shit,” Lance said again. “You ruin my chances of getting into Gamma Epsilon  _ and _ you’re a fucking omega. This is… this day can’t get weirder. I need some air.” 

 

“Lance,” Keith said, his voice cracking. “Don’t tell anyone.” 

 

“Yeah. Yeah.” Lance grabbed his coat and took off, leaving Keith to slowly sink onto the floor and panic alone. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“I’m finished. It’s over, it’s all over,” Lotor distressed as he paced the length of his room. “And all because I couldn’t convince them to  _ stop _ .” 

 

Shiro sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Lotor, take a breath.” 

 

“I can’t. I… don’t know what I’m going to do.” He turned to look at Shiro in duress. “I know I can’t defend myself against Allura’s precious council.” 

 

“What if someone vouches for you?” Shiro asked. 

 

“Like  _ who _ ?” Lotor demanded, pulling his hair back out of his face into a ponytail. 

 

Shiro laughed a bit. “Me.” 

 

He froze, slowly turning to look at Shiro in shock. “What do you mean? Why would you do that?” 

 

Shiro offering to vouch for him would  _ help _ , but he wasn’t sure he deserved it. He’d never done anything in his life deserving Shiro’s friendship or assistance. 

 

“Gamma Epsilon does  _ a lot _ for this campus. Fundraising, events, parades, donating to charity, and a lot of other things,” Shiro said. “You guys shouldn’t be disbanded because you have zero control over the girls running your fraternity.” 

 

“ _ I’m  _ President,” Lotor snapped. He sighed, finally sitting down on the bench, putting his head in his hands. “But I suck at it.” 

 

“You don’t suck at it,” Shiro said. “You just need to remind them that hazing is  _ wrong _ , illegal, and now you have to stand in front of a council and try to keep it all together.” 

 

“I doubt they’ll bend the rules for us,” Lotor said quietly. “But I thank you for your help, Shiro. You are a good friend.” 

 

Shiro smiled a little. “How are you doing? Besides all of this.” 

 

The question was deeper than it seemed on the surface and Lotor wasn’t sure he wanted to answer it. “Not now, Shiro. I don’t have time to be  _ deep _ with you.” 

 

Shiro snorted. “Fine. Later then, because this conversation is not over just because you like to play dodgeball.” 

 

Lotor looked up at Shiro, propping his face on his hand. Shiro looked stunning sitting on his bed and Lotor hated how it was always such a tragic thing to realize. “Remember when we dated,” he said suddenly, reminiscing. 

 

Shiro blushed and chuckled. “Yeah, well, I don’t know if I’d call what we did  _ dating _ . Pretty sure it was mostly just boning.” 

 

“But good boning,” Lotor said with a wink. 

 

“You’re boning someone else now,” Shiro reminded him. 

 

“Yes, Lance…” Lotor shut his eyes as he thought on Lance; his smile, beautiful caramel skin,  soft hair, blue eyes, and love of all things memes. Lance was a wonderful specimen. “He’s.. better than me.” 

 

“Lance is a good person,” Shiro agreed quietly. “Are you two happy?” 

 

“I think so,” Lance said. “That being said, I need to… check on him-.” 

 

They both jumped when someone knocked and Lance stuck his head in, as if he’d been summoned. “Hey, sorry,” Lance said. “I didn’t know you had company. Sorry-.” 

 

“No, no I’m glad you’re here,” Lotor said. “Shiro was just leaving.” 

 

Shiro stood, thoroughly dismissed, and Lance came into the room. Lotor smiled tiredly at Lance, gesturing him over. When he thought on how many people had seen his perfect omega in his lacy panties, it made anger bunch into his stomach, but Lotor dismissed it in favor of pulling Lance onto his lap for a kiss. 

 

“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned he was hurt from earlier. 

 

Lance nodded. “Did you know… about that stuff earlier?” 

 

“No,” Lotor said. “I told them we were done. I wouldn’t risk the fraternity for something so stupid as hazing. We were going to change, that was what I told them. They clearly did not listen to me.” 

 

Lance leaned in to kiss him again. “Good…. It was Keith, he told on you.” 

 

That wasn’t that surprising; he had a feeling Keith was the one who had told on them, but he wasn’t angry with Keith for it. Part of him was glad - maybe now the girls would  _ listen _ to him and do as he asked, instead of questioning his methods. “I’m not surprised,” he said. 

 

Lance stood and sat down on the bed so they were face to face. “I have to tell you something- something that might help in this… turn of events.” 

 

“What?” Lotor asked, head tilting. 

 

“I found out something about  _ Keith _ .” 

 

“What about him?” 

 

“He’s an  _ omega _ . An  _ omega _ , can you believe it? He’s totally faking being an alpha,” Lance said with a wicked grin. “Isn’t that great? We have something to hold over him- I mean, he’s  _ lying _ about himself, what if he’s “lying” about earlier? Right? This discredits him-.” 

 

“Lance,” Lotor said firmly, making Lance stop. Anger seethed under his skin as he listened to Lance tell him something he didn’t need to know. “Shut up.” 

 

“But-.” 

 

“ _ Enough _ . That is enough, this conversation is over.” Lotor stood and went to look outside, leaning against his window. 

 

“What’s wrong? I don’t understand,” Lance asked. “Lotor…” 

 

“Lance, leave.” Lotor took a sharp breath, his hands shaking slightly. He needed to go outside. He needed to run, to scream, to hide, to do anything but stand there and think on the implications.  _ You should have known, you should have realized, you should have told him it’ll be fine, it’ll work out, it’ll all work out.  _

 

“What’s  _ wrong _ ?” 

 

“I said leave!” Lotor spun around, giving him the darkest glare he could summon, fighting an urge to physically lash out. “You know what, forget it, I’m going.” Storming over to his closet, he changed into clothes he could jog in. 

 

“Lotor…” 

 

“Lance, not right now.” Lotor made sure his hair was secure, grabbed his phone, and headphones, before taking off. 

 

He needed to escape. 

 

He needed to talk to Keith. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

The gym was usually his church, a place to escape from the pain of his thoughts, but Keith wanted to feel numb in every way and the gym never left him numb. It made him feel alive; he didn’t want to feel alive. The woods behind the art and communications building became his haven. The snow was falling slower now, coming down in a soft powder dust versus how it had been earlier, coating the trees and rock and began to freeze the creek.

 

The world stood still and quiet but fragile — it reflected exactly how he felt inside. 

 

Keith stood still and debated on getting into the creek to drown. If Lance told someone, which Keith was sure he would, then his life was over and ruined forever. Everything was over. 

 

“Keith?” 

 

Keith didn’t startle like he usually did, he just shut his eyes and wished life would end. “Lotor,” he said slowly. “He told you, didn’t he?” 

 

Lotor joined him, standing at his side, shoulder to shoulder. “Yes, Lance told me. He told me and I am sorry I didn’t notice beforehand.”

 

That wasn’t what he expected to hear. Keith frowned, looking over at him. “What?” 

 

Lotor stared ahead, not looking at him, his white hair becoming dusted in snow. “I should have known you were an omega because I know exactly what that is like.” 

 

“You-... You  _ know _ ?” Keith started, turning to face Lotor completely. “ _ You’re _ an omega?” 

 

“I was,” Lotor corrected, turning to face Keith in tandem. “I was an omega once upon a time ago but I never… I was never really an omega. I never  _ felt _ like my status dictates I should feel.  I was never this quiet and submissive person, I never wanted to be that person… So, I changed, I had everything about me changed as the years went on.” 

 

The conversation left him dumbfounded. Lotor was pretty like an omega, but he just figured the guy had good genes, not that he still somehow attained bits and pieces of his past. “Holy shit,” he whispered. 

 

“I know it’s hard to believe looking at me now,” Lotor went on. “I understand how you feel, Keith. I never felt at home in being an omega… I was always wanting to take control of my life and I didn’t feel like an omega “should”, or at least as how they say an omega should feel.” 

 

Keith looked down at the ground, wondering if he could form his own feelings into words. “I don’t like how omegas are treated,” he said slowly. “They’re treated like objects and I don’t want to be treated that way. It’s not that… I want to necessarily  _ become _ an alpha, I just don’t want to  _ be _ an omega, either. I don’t want to submit and be all needy… I guess… I mean, I don’t know, I’ve never let myself find out.”

 

“There is nothing wrong with either feeling. If you enjoy being submissive and more like an _ “omega”,  _ then that’s okay, but you have to be comfortable in it. I was never comfortable in the role society wanted me to play. What I know now is I set my own role, not my body. I love my body now, I love how people see me, and how I feel when I see myself… but I know that I am the only one who can decide what I want in life and how I perceive myself is what really matters, not how others perceive me.” 

 

Keith listened to Kotor's words and he knew they were true; he didn’t have to  _ hide _ being an omega, not really. It was habitual now and hard to stop feeling as if he needed to keep his status underwraps. It was difficult to be okay with himself and to love himself. 

 

“The point is, Lance never should have disclosed your status to me without your permission, and I do not stand for such behavior. He has cost his bid to Gamma Epsilon. That is, if there is still a fraternity once Allura finishes wiping the floor with me.” 

 

“Look, about that-  _ wait _ , you can’t take away Lance’s bid!” Keith gasped. “You can’t, this is what he wants more than  _ anything _ .” Keith felt panicked. If Lance didn’t get into Gamma Epsilon, he’d be crushed, completely  _ crushed _ . 

 

“I am not angry that you told Allura what happened, it’s made me realize how awful we've been over the years. I want to change,” Lotor said firmly. “However, I will not change my mind about Lance. Even if it costs our relationship, I will not change my mind. What he did was uncalled for and was done with malicious intent. I do not appreciate or support such behavior.” 

 

“But Gamma Epsilon makes you reveal your status,” Keith argued. 

 

Lotor shook his head. “We have never made members disclose their status. It is against our Code.” 

 

“Then why is that even a rumor on campus?” 

 

“There are many rumors on campus about Gamma Epsilon that are not true,” Lotor replied. “That is one of them.” 

 

Keith took a moment, because the world felt as if it were reeling. “Fuck,” he whispered. “Look — thank you for telling me about you and… and commiserating and all, but please don’t take away Lance’s bid. It’ll  _ crush _ him.” 

 

“He has made a mistake, gone against our Code, and I will not back down from that.” Lotor turned to look at the creek again, going quiet for a moment. “I used to come here and debate on ending things, so if that is where you are, I understand.” 

 

Keith flinched. “Why would you want to end things? Your life seems perfect.” 

 

Lotor laughed but it was a bitter and cold. “My life is far from perfect, Keith. There are things about me that you don’t know.” 

 

Keith almost asked  _ what _ , but he held his tongue. If Lotor wanted to tell him, he would tell him, but he wouldn’t make Lotor talk. “I’m sorry.”

 

Lotor snorted. “You don’t even know the half of it, Keith,” he said with a bitterness he’d never heard out of Lotor before. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Keith asked. 

 

“No. Not now. Not here… I might jump in if we talk about it here,” he whispered. “Let’s go back to campus.” 

 

The answer intrigued him but he held back from prying and just nodded, following Lotor back to his car to drive back toward campus. The world went by in a blur of white and Keith began to think on Shiro. More than anything he wanted Shiro to talk to him about the kiss, but he hadn’t and it was making Keith feel worse. 

 

“Lotor,” Keith said. 

 

“Hm?”

 

“Do you think Shiro would care if he knew the truth about me?” 

 

Lotor looked over at him curiously, before turning his attention back to driving. “Why do you ask that?” 

 

“Because I kissed him and he said we’d talk about it, but we haven’t talked about it, and I just wonder if it's because he thinks I’m an alpha and not an omega. So, maybe I should tell him.” 

 

Lotor laughed, which wasn’t what Keith expected. “Shiro has fucked another alpha, so I doubt he cares about that.” 

 

“ _ Who _ ?” 

 

“Me.” 

 

Keith stared,  feeling a bit horrified, before hiding his face in his hands. “Oh my God.” 

 

Lotor laughed more. “Yes, we used to fuck quite a bit actually… He’s been busy lately, I’m sure he’s been meaning to talk to you about whatever happened between the two of you.” 

 

“I kissed him and then he kissed me,” Keith said quickly, everything coming out like word vomit. “It felt amazing… I just- I like him so much.” 

 

“He likes you,” Lotor said. 

 

“How do you know?” 

 

“He used to look at me like he looks at you,” Lotor explained softly. “Actually, he looks at you the way I look at Lance, so that’s a better indicator.” 

 

“You really like him,” Keith said. “Don’t you?” 

 

Lotor chuckled. “Unfortunately… which I am sure will be ruined in a few days.” Lotor pulled up outside of Keith’s dorm. “Keith.” 

 

“Yeah?” Keith asked, poised to leave the car. 

 

“Shiro tends to work too hard and doesn’t take a moment for himself.. If he doesn’t talk to you, corner him and make him talk. It’s usually the best method with him.” 

 

Keith smirked and nodded. “Thanks, Lotor…. Good luck with everything, and um, if you want to talk about whatever you were referring to before, let me know.” When Lotor nodded, Keith climbed out of his car to head back inside. 

 

He’d give Shiro one more day and if he didn’t hear from him, it would be time for drastic measures.   
  


 

* * *

 

 

 

“We have gathered everyone here today to decide whether or not Gamma Epsilon should be allowed to continue on as a fraternity chapter on Garrison University’s campus,” Allura announced to the room. “They stand accused of hazing on three counts, with visual evidence, and I’m sure there are more that we have yet to discover.” 

 

Lotor tried not to roll his eyes, he just stood quiet and still like a child being scolded. 

 

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Lotor?” Allura asked. 

 

_ Yes, you take this job too seriously _ . Lotor raised his gaze to look around the room at the people would stand as a jury of sorts. They were fellow peers he knew, people who had come to his parties, and had taken a part in different activities he’d hosted. Perhaps, this would be to his advantage. 

 

“Yes,” Lotor finally said. “I’d like to point out that I was not aware of the most recent hazing charge and I had no say in what took place. If I had known, I would have put a stop to it.” 

 

Allura snorted with derision. “I’m sure.”

 

“Gamma Epsilon has a long history on this campus,” Lotor continued. “And disbanding the chapter would be a huge mistake for the Greek Life Council. We are the oldest fraternity and we are the heart and soul of this university. Many of you have to our parties, our events, our fundraisers. Without us, there would be no  _ Greek Life Council _ .” He looked around the room again. “So, I ask for you leniency as we enter a new era of reform.” 

 

The jury of peers all whispered amongst themselves while Allura rolled her eyes. “Is there anyone here who will vouch for Gamma Epsilon’s practices?” 

 

“I will,” Shiro said, coming to stand next to Lotor. 

 

“Shiro,” Allura said in surprise. 

 

“I know that Gamma Epsilon has a  _ sordid _ past, but Lotor is right. Think of all that they do for the campus each year. They run the university car wash which last year raised over five  _ thousand _ dollars for the student giving program. They host foreign exchange students in their house. They host charity events and donate proceeds to organizations like the Cancer Foundation and the ASPCA.” 

 

Lotor looked over at Shiro, touched by his kind words. He knew Shiro had said he’d vouch, but he hadn’t expected such a heartfelt statement. 

 

“If you disband Gamma Epsilon today,” Shiro continued. “Then the campus won’t be the same tomorrow. You’ll disappoint the hundreds of people within the chapter, not just the ones on campus, and the future of the campus will suffer. We’ll lose money, school spirit, and morale. I understand that they have broken the rules, but I do know Lotor, and if he says they are reforming, then I believe him, because he isn’t a liar.” 

 

“Is that all?” Allura asked them. Lotor and Shiro nodded. “We’ll deliberate then.” 

 

Lotor stepped back and gave Shiro a nod of thanks, while the jury and Allura went into a private room to talk. Sitting down, Lotor looked at the members of his fraternity and hoped that he hadn’t blown it. More than anything, he didn’t want to disappoint them. 

 

It felt like forever before the jury returned, and when Lotor glanced his phone, it had been an hour. Allura looked sour but she cleared her face and stood in front of them. “The Greek Life Student Council has decided that Gamma Epsilon may…  _ continue _ as a chapter, however, you will be on a strict probation for 90 days. If you break any rules or laws of the Greek Life Code, you  _ will _ be disbanded without notice.” 

 

Lotor sighed quietly in relief as he stood. “Thank you,” he said. 

 

Allura offered a fake smile and the fraternity cheered in relief. Lotor turned to Shiro and offered his hand for a handshake. 

 

“You did it,” Shiro said, giving his hand a squeeze before pulling him in for a tight hug. 

 

Lotor stiffened at the contact, but slowly relaxed into the affection, even returning the hug with a squeeze of his own. “Thank you, Shiro,” he said sincerely. “I appreciate what you said.” 

 

“I meant it, every word.” 

 

They pulled apart, and Lotor turned to face his friends. “Well, Ladies, it looks like we skirted past with our lives… So, do me a favor, and do  _ not _ break any rules. No parties. No nothing. We follow every inch of that Code until the probation period is over.” 

 

Acxa nodded as she stood up. “Lotor, we’re sorry for not listening to you before.” 

 

“Yeah,” Ezor agreed. “Sorry.” 

 

Zethrid clapped his shoulder. “Ready to go vote on bids?” 

 

“Yes,” Lotor said, waving them ahead. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

  
  


Lance paced outside of room 112 in Towers Hall. They were holding Lotor's hearing and Shiro had gone in over an hour ago and had yet to come out. He wasn’t sure how much longer they could debate on this, but it was causing Lance to stress out. He needed to know if there was still a fraternity and if he had to kick in his  _ comforting _ skills into hyperdrive. 

 

The doors finally opened and people began to file out. Lance stood off to the side, waiting for Lotor to come out. His generals came out first and then finally Lotor and Shiro came out together, followed by an annoyed Allura. 

 

Did Shiro help pull it all off? 

 

“Lotor,” Lance said, which made Lotor turn to face him. 

 

“Lance.” Lotor smiled and walked up to him, cupping his face. “You came.” 

 

“Of  _ course _ I did… How did it go? Is there still a fraternity? You don’t seem too upset,” Lance said, talking too fast. 

 

“Lance, Lance, slow down,” Lotor chuckled with a smile. “Yes, with Shiro's help, we were able to stay as a chapter, but we’re on probation. So, no more messing up or it’s game over.” 

 

Lance felt his face fill with a huge smile and he threw his arms around Lotor's neck in excitement. “Thank  _ God _ .” 

 

“Thank Shiro,” Lotor pointed out, giving him a squeeze. 

 

“That means bids come out tomorrow, right?” Lance asked, his eyes full of excitement. He was positive he’d get one which meant he could  _ finally _ pledge to the fraternity of his dreams.

 

“Yes,” Lotor said, sounding less excited than he had a moment ago. “I actually have to go get that all set up, so I apologize, I cannot stay with you to celebrate.” 

 

“Oh,” Lance said, shoulders slumping. “That’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

 

Lotor opened his mouth to answer but then just shut it and nodded. “Sure, Lance. Tomorrow.” 

 

“Good.” Lance gave him a happy kiss. He missed the look Lotor gave him as he walked off, feeling better that something was going good for once. 

 

Tomorrow, he would be an official pledge. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I'm sorry this took so long to update. I should be back to normal again, finally, and I apologize in advance for leaving everyone hanging for so long.

He was sitting in the library studying for midterms when the emails came through. Both of them occurred at the same time like it had been rehearsed. Either way, he had not expected to receive two emails regarding invites to pledge from two different fraternities. 

 

Alpha Omega and Gamma Epsilon. 

 

Keith read each email slowly and carefully. He’d expected the email from Alpha Omega, but not from Gamma Epsilon.  _ Maybe it’s a mistake _ , he thought. But the email and letter therein was addressed to him. It couldn’t be a mistake, which meant Lance was going to be waiting on an email that would never come. 

 

Despite what Lance had done to him, Keith still felt a pang of sadness for his roommate. He knew how much Gamma Epsilon meant to Lance and he would be  _ crushed _ once he found out that he would not be invited to pledge. The thoughts made Keith gather up his books and belongings so he could head back to the dorm room they shared. When he arrived, Lance was sitting on the top bunk, staring at his laptop, probably reading an email from Alpha Omega. 

 

“Hey,” Keith said  slowly as he dropped his bag on his desk. 

 

“Hey,” Lance replied, looking extremely bored, his head resting on his hand. “Did you get bid emails?” 

 

“Yeah…” Telling Lance seemed like an impossible task, but hiding it seemed worse. 

 

“Which ones?” 

 

Taking a deep breath, Keith turned to face Lance to look him head on. “Well, um, Alpha Omega and… Gamma Epsilon.” 

 

Lance perked up at the mention of his coveted fraternity. “ _ You _ were invited to Gamma Epsilon?” Lance asked, his eyes wide with shock. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“But you didn’t even  _ want _ to join! I haven’t heard back yet…” Lance frowned, looking down at his laptop again in confusion, refreshing the page over and over. 

 

“Lance…” Was it his job to tell him or was it Lotor's? Did he take on that responsibility? He didn’t want Lance to sit up all night and stress over something that was not going to happen for him. “You aren’t getting in. Lotor said he wasn’t inviting you to pledge,” he said as delicately as he could. 

 

Lance’s frown deepened and his face slid through several expressions –– confusion, sadness, disappointment, anger, and disbelief. “You’re lying,” he finally said quietly. “Why would Lotor tell you that?” 

 

Keith glanced down, feeling guilty for knowing it was his fault Lance was not getting into Gamma Epsilon. Part of him was still angry with Lance for trying to use his status against him, especially since Lance hadn’t even told him he’d done it. As far as Lance knew, he knew nothing about the situation. “Ask Lotor.” 

 

“I will,” Lance spat as he jumped down from the top bunk. “Because you’re a  _ liar _ .” 

 

Keith flinched as Lance grabbed his coat and stormed out of the room. 

  
  


_ Keith Kogane is a liar. If he lies about his status, he lies about everything else _ . 

 

The thought replayed over and over in Lance’s head as he walked across campus to talk to Lotor in person. He’d hoped the walk would clear his head, but by the time he reached Gamma Epsilon’s House, his anger had not dissipated at all.

 

Lotor wouldn’t do this to him; he knew how much Gamma Epsilon meant to him. He  _ had _ to be a member. He’d done everything they asked and more. He’d humiliated himself, he’d let Lotor and his friends use him as a slave, he’d even stripped almost naked for them on more than one occasion. He  _ deserved _ a spot. 

 

As he approached the house, he noticed Lotor was outside, talking to a taller man he didn’t recognize at first. It took him a moment to realize it was Coach Zarkon, Lotor's father, standing on the porch. From the way Lotor held himself, he seemed angry and defiant, but also afraid, as if he feared what his father would do if he said the wrong thing. 

 

“I told you not to come here,” Lotor snapped, his usually quiet, calm voice carrying in heated emotion. 

 

“I do as I please, Lotor,” came the evenly calm reply. “You will not deny me entry into my own house. It’s pledge night, I have  a right to meet the upcoming class.” 

 

“You were removed from Gamma Epsilon years ago, father, and are trespassing now. Leave.” 

 

“Is everything okay?” Lance asked as he approached. He’d never met Zarkon in person, but from how Lotor spoke of him and from rumors on campus, he was not a good person. 

 

Lotor looked at him in surprised, having not expected him, but his face went quickly blank as if they didn’t even know one another. Zarkon also looked at him and Lance straightened his spine to appear taller. 

 

“Who is this?” Zarkon asked. 

 

“No one,” Lotor replied coolly. “Leave or I will call security.” 

 

Lance’s jaw fell open when Lotor told his father he was  _ no one _ . He wanted to argue, but Zarkon turned to leave and began approaching him. 

 

“You’re a pretty one,” Zarkon said as he walked by to get into his silver Lexus. 

 

The statement made Lance’s skin crawl and he quickly stepped out of the way and walked up the porch steps to stand next to Lotor. Neither of them said anything until Zarkon had driven away, leaving them in silence. 

 

“Why did you say I was no one?” Lance asked, his anger finally boiling close to the surface, ready to spill over. 

 

“The less he knows of you, the better,” Lotor replied coldly. “I don’t want him associating you with me.” 

 

“Why? Are you ashamed of me?” 

 

“Lance-.” 

 

Lance looked down, his jaw clenching. “Is that why you didn’t send me an offer to pledge? Because you’re ashamed of me?” 

 

“Lance, I am not  _ ashamed _ of you, but it is a complicated situation. I do not want my father using you to get to me, I know that makes no sense to you… but believe me… It’s better he thinks nothing of you. As for Gamma Epsilon, the reason you were not offered a pledge is your own doing.” 

 

“ _ Excuse _ me?” 

 

Lotor turned to face him, his eyes tired, but his face was a hard mask. “When you revealed Keith’s status to me, someone who has no reason to know his true status, you sealed your fate and dug your grave.” 

 

Lance opened his mouth to argue, but then slowly closed it. Keith hadn’t said anything to him about what he’d done, so he’d hoped Keith didn’t even know. “But…” 

 

“No  _ buts _ , you broke the Code and a personal pet peeve of mine,” Lotor snapped. “You deliberately blackmailed your friend with malicious intent to ruin him, thinking I would retaliate. I do not want someone like  _ that _ in Gamma Epsilon. Despite people say we scheme and serve ourselves, we are not as cold hearted as the campus makes us out to be. Do you understand?” 

 

Lotor's harsh words made him flinch and feel small. “Does Keith know?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

Of course Keith knew, it had to be why he had known about Lotor not offering him a bid to begin with. The realization made him feel like the bottom of a grungy shoe. “Oh.” 

 

“Lance, I care about you,” Lotor said as his voice softened. “But you broke a cardinal rule and I cannot make an exception for you because I am sleeping with you.” 

 

“Yeah,” he said quietly.  _ All actions have consequences _ , his mother would say.  _ The worse the action, the bigger the consequence _ . It hurt more than he wanted to admit, the fact that he’d ruined his one shot for himself and in the process had disappointed Lotor and hurt Keith. They hadn’t always gotten along and usually fought like cats and dogs, but Lance knew what he’d done was wrong. 

 

Keith never would have done that to him. 

 

“As someone who cares about you, I am truly sorry it came to this.. I know Gamma Epsilon means a lot to you,” Lotor said. 

 

He wanted to cry, but no tears would come. All he felt was a pit of numbness. “I should go,” he said flatly, feeling empty inside. 

 

“Lance…” Lotor touched his chin, attempting to make him look up, but Lance pulled out of his touch. “Lance, please don’t go when you feel this way. Stay here, we can talk or not talk… I don’t want you alone.” 

 

“I just need to go,” Lance said. He turned and walked away, staring at the sidewalk as he headed back to his dorm. 

 

A lone silver Lexus followed close behind.

  
  


* * *

 

 

Keith sat waiting in the hallway outside of Shiro's door, bouncing a ball against the opposite wall, not caring if he bothered anyone. Shiro was probably out with the fraternity –– he had a few days to make a decision, but Keith wasn’t even sure  _ what _ the right decision would be anymore. He’d started the school year assuming he would enter Shiro's fraternity –– a ragtag group of people all thrown together as a last attempt to make a society, but now that he was presented with Gamma Epsilon as well, it was too difficult to decide. 

 

“Keith,” came Shiro's voice from down the hallway. 

 

The bouncy ball slammed against the wall and Shiro distracted him enough that it came back and smacked him in the head. “Ow, fuck–– Shiro, I need to talk to you,” he said before Shiro could make up some excuse to take off. 

 

“Okay,” Shiro said slowly as he approached his door and pulled out his keys to unlock it. “Come in.” 

 

The room was quiet and dark while Shiro fidgeted with his bags before turning on a light across the room. The room flooded in amber light versus the awful white light of the overhead fluorescents. “Lance and I need one of those,” he said, his eyes on the floor lamp. 

 

“Yeah, the regular dorm lights are awful.” Shiro dropped his heavy backpack on the floor and sank down onto his desk chair. “What’s up?” 

 

Keith shut the door, leaning back against it. “You said we’d talk and we haven’t.” 

 

“About what?” 

 

Well, that stung. Maybe Shiro had forgotten already. Maybe the kiss had been  _ that _ mediocre. 

 

“You know… We kissed… on the roof? Not that long ago. Am I that forgettable?”

 

Shiro's face went from blank to realization and he quickly jumped up to close the gap between them. “You are  _ not _ forgettable, I‘ve just been busy with all this drama around Gamma Epsilon and my fraternity and classes. Keith, I am so sorry. I definitely want to talk about it.” 

 

“Okay… So… talk about it. Do you want to do it again?” 

 

“Yes,” Shiro said so fast it made Keith smile a little. “I do.” 

 

“Good. I want to kiss you, too.” 

 

“Right now?” 

 

“Isn’t that a little spontaneous?” Keith teased which made Shiro tilt his head in confusion. “I’m kidding. You can kiss me.” 

 

“Good.” Shiro took another step closer and ducked his head to be almost at his mouth, his hand coming up to cup Keith’s cheek. It was cool and calloused against his skin, but Shiro's touch was gentle and light, like he was afraid he’d break Keith. Keith shut his eyes as he felt Shiro’s hair brush his forehead and they  paused before kissing, like it was forbidden, before finally Keith sighed into Shiro's mouth. They took their time, easing into the kiss like a sacred act, versus the passion on the roof. 

 

Despite the slowness, it felt more intimate than the kiss on the roof. Keith’s head felt light and dizzy, especially when Shiro's free hand slid down to land on his waist, holding him against the door so easily. Their size difference became apparent when Shiro had him pinned to the back of the door, their mouths fused together in slow, languid kisses. The world stilled and the noises faded away; the only thing that mattered to Keith in the moment was Shiro. 

 

“Wow,” Shiro whispered as he pulled away, not going far, their foreheads together. “You feel so… good, Keith.  _ Right _ .” 

 

Keith nodded, leaning back in for another kiss. Where the second kiss felt slow, Keith kissed Shiro with more urgency, starting to feel the heat gather in his loins.  _ I want Knotted _ , he thought which surprised him so much, he pulled back in a hurry. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Shiro asked. “Did I hurt you?” 

 

“No,” Keith whispered. “I just...” He touched his lips with uncertainty. He’d never  _ wanted _ a Knot like he wanted one now. He wanted Shiro to claim him, make him his omega, but not to treat him like an omega. It was such a conflicting feeling inside. Nothing made sense. 

 

“Keith?” 

 

“I’m an omega,” he spat out quickly, his eyes wide.  _ Oh fuck, you fucked up, you fucked up so much _ . 

 

Shiro struggled to answer as he stammered and tilted his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m–– you’re what?” 

 

“I’m an omega,” he said again, more slowly. “I’m not an alpha… and… I have no idea what I want to be, but I don’t really want to be an omega. At least, not how people see omegas. The kind of omega Lance is, that isn’t me, so if that’s what you want…” 

 

Shiro shook his head and kissed him again, making Keith relax and feel content. Being kissed by Shiro was truly one of the best feelings he’d ever experienced. “I don’t care what you are or what you look like, Keith. I care about you, Keith Kogane, not your status.” 

 

Keith smiled slightly and felt his cheeks turn red. He wasn’t really one for mushy gushy feelings. “Shut up. Loser.” 

 

Shiro smirked and they kissed once more, this time with Shiro leading him back to his bed. Shiro sat down first and positioned Keith to stand in front of him. “I don’t want to take anything too far with you. I want to make sure you know what you want. I know what  _ I _ want, but what I want doesn't matter.” 

 

“I just want to be with you,” Keith whispered. “Whatever that entails. Sex. No sex. It doesn’t matter.” 

 

Shiro nodded as he slowly slid his hands up under Keith’s shirt, feeling each muscle with slow and gentle hands. The skin to skin contact made Keith moan softly, his eyes fluttering shut, as goosebumps raised up along his skin. Shiro's touch stayed light and gentle, even when Keith felt him ease his shirt up, so Keith took it off, standing shirtless. It wasn’t as if they’d never seen each other shirtless before, but this time was so much  _ more _ . 

 

“You’re so beautiful, Keith,” Shiro said, pulling Keith closer so his mouth could drag along his chest and nipples. Keith whimpered, rising up on his toes when Shiro's lips wrapped around one and then the other. Fuck, he was wet. 

 

“I am not,” he whispered back, rocking on his heels when Shiro's hands slid down to tug his sweatpants down his thighs. The reveal was so slow, it had Keith on edge, his jaw clenched as he feared rejection. 

 

Shiro kissed his hips in answer, his tongue lingering under his belly button, going toward his pubic bone. He shut his eyes when Shiro tugged his underwear down until he felt cold air along his ass. He’d never been naked in front of someone, especially not an alpha, in a very long time. It was almost humiliating but this was  _ Shiro  _ and he knew Shiro would never hurt him. 

 

“Fuck,” Shiro growled, his fingers digging into Keith’s thighs. “You’re gorgeous.” 

 

“I don’t shave,” Keith replied, looking down at the natural bush he sported, as if Shiro couldn’t see that for himself.  Shaving reminded him too much of being an omega _ and _ it was a pain in the ass. 

 

“I don’t care.” 

 

He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay… Now what?” He was naked and Shiro was dressed, which seemed a bit unfair. “You’re not undressed.” 

 

While Keith managed to kick his clothes to the side, Shiro stood up and took his shirt off in such a swift and easy motion, he could only stare on in wonder. His jaw hung open at the sight of Shiro's body so close and personal. He could reach out and  _ touch _ his pecs or his biceps or abs, but no, he was just sweating and drooling instead. 

 

“Keith?” Shiro asked as he took his pants off with less grace, having to sit and pull them off. “You okay?” 

 

“Uh-huh.” 

 

“You… sure?” Shiro asked. 

 

“Uh-huh.” Keith stared and stared and stared, his eyes roving over Shiro's amazing body and when he was down to his little boxer shorts, it was  _ so much _ , almost too much. “You just- you’re just- wow-.” 

 

Shiro blushed. 

 

Not casual blush across the cheeks like you’d read in a romance novel. No.  Full body blush. 

 

Keith was so surprised to see him so clearly embarrassed that he finally snapped out of his trance. “Are  _ you _ okay?” 

 

Shiro had crossed his arms over his chest, while his skin turned bright red all the way down to his toes. “Fine,” he mumbled, ducking his head and not making eye contact. 

 

“Are you… self conscious?” Keith asked in shock. Of all people, Keith couldn’t imagine  _ Shiro _ being self conscious about how he  _ looked _ . “You’re like the  _ perfect _ physique, how could you be embarrassed?” 

 

“It’s not that…” Shiro said, still not looking at him. 

 

Keith slowly sat down beside him, suddenly softening. “What is it then?” 

 

“I get stared at  _ all the time _ . Girls, guys, people I don’t know, people I  _ do _ know… It’s a curse, Keith. People only look at me and see this hot body and nothing else. They stare, they hit on me, give their numbers, suggest  _ very _ uncomfortable things to me in public. I once had a barista ask me if I wanted to meet up with her once her shift ended and wrote her number on my cup. I just wanted coffee!” Shiro sighed, deflating a little, curling up on himself. “I just become very self aware, is all.” 

 

“I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable,” Keith said quietly. “I didn’t mean to- you’re just… really hot.” 

 

After a moment, Shiro did finally look at him again and Keith offered up a soft, private smile, which Shiro returned. “I don’t mind when you look, it’s just when other people do. It’s very off putting when that’s all I have happen to me constantly day in and day out.” 

 

“Next time someone makes you uncomfortable, tell me, and I’ll stab them,” Keith said, completely serious. 

 

Shiro laughed and leaned into him for a kiss. “You’re very sweet, but that’s slightly extreme..” 

 

Keith shrugged. “The offer is there.” 

 

“I killed the mood, didn’t I?” Shiro asked, looking guilty. 

 

“No.” Keith slowly eased himself back on Shiro's bed. He’d never had sex before and had no idea what to do, but he knew the basic concept of dick in hole. “I want to. I really want to, Shiro.” 

 

“Have you before?” Shiro asked, turning to face him, placing two large hands on Keith’s knees and parting his thighs. 

 

“No,” he admitted quietly. 

 

“We’ll take it slow then.”

 

He almost rolled his eyes; Shiro treated him like he could be broken, when all he really wanted was for Shiro to slap him around and fuck him rough. The thought made him turn red, but he was sure Shiro interpreted the blush as him being nervous. “Okay.” 

 

Shiro spread his thighs wider before ducking between his thighs to run his tongue along Keith’s folds. The sensation shocked and pleased him, making Keith gasp as he arched his back, relaxing against the bed. His fingers knotted in Shiro's sheets, pulling at them as Shiro's tongue focused on his clit. Moans escaped his lips  as his legs moved along the bed at the intensity of someone else pleasuring him versus his own hand. It was  _ so _ good, he already felt fire burning in his pelvis. 

 

“Fuck, Shiro-,” Keith gasped. “ _ Shiro _ .” 

 

Shiro moaned in returned as his hands tightened on Keith’s thighs, holding his legs still. He could feel Shiro's tongue lapping and sliding along his clit until he felt it go under the hood to really tease the little bud. Keith cried out and felt his hips jerk as he came quickly. His thighs slammed against Shiro's head and he moaned and whined, slick making the room smell of omega. 

 

Shiro sat up, licking his lips, and Keith’s eyes wandered to his cock and the immensity of it; it was thick and long, so heavy it drooped towards the bed despite being hard. Keith whimpered and shut his thighs again, unsure if Shiro would  _ fit _ . He’d never had anything inside before and Shiro was a hell of a lot bigger than a vibrator. 

 

“I don’t think you’re gonna fit,” he said with sincerity. 

 

Shiro blushed and stroked his cock with one of his hands. “I don’t have to tonight,” he said. “I just want to glut on your body.” 

 

Keith sighed, letting his thighs fall back open while Shiro jerked off to him. It was  _ hot _ , watching Shiro please himself, and how he was fast and rough on his cock. Keith panted along with him, feeling arousal fill his stomach again. His pussy throbbed and ached, clearly wanting Shiro's Knot, but he wasn’t about to try tonight. He wasn't sure he was ready to take Shiro on. 

 

“You’re fucking hot, Shiro,” Keith said, which made Shiro grunt and groan as he started to come, splashing his load along Keith’s thighs and stomach. His eyes widened at the mess Shiro made. It made a blush crawl down from his face to his navel. 

 

Shiro's face - the look of pure bliss - lasted for a while as he relaxed and caught his breath. Keith wondered what his face would look like when they finally fucked. As they both relaxed and felt the adrenaline fall away, Keith sat up and reached for Shiro until he could kiss him, wrapping his arms around his broad shoulders.

 

Everything felt good and warm with Shiro. 

 

Nothing could go wrong. 

 

He was happy. 

 

“Shiro,” Keith said quietly as they slowly stretched out on the bed together with Shiro's arms around him. He felt so safe with Shiro. Nothing could hurt him as long as he had Shiro around. 

 

“Hm?” 

 

Keith nuzzled his face under Shiro's chin, his eyes heavy with the need to sleep. Words wanted to spill out of his mouth but he managed to hold them at bay; words that would convey his feelings toward Shiro in ways he wasn’t sure either of them were ready to hear. “That felt good,” Keith settled on quietly. 

 

Shiro’s chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Yeah,” he agreed. “It did.” 

 

They both went quiet as sleep began to pull them both under a warm and comforting sense of safety. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

In a perfect world, he would have woken up beside Keith with the sunlight coming in softly, just enough to highlight Keith’s cheekbones and how peaceful he looked when asleep. Birds would be singing and the morning would be beautiful. 

 

The world was not perfect, however, and Shiro woke because his phone kept going off over and over until he finally rolled over to see who was attempting to call him so many times. As he was checking missed calls, the phone went off again and Shiro glanced Lotor's name before answering. “You are aware of the time, right?” Shiro asked tiredly as he attempted to not wake Keith. 

 

“Have you seen Lance?” came Lotor's panicked voice. He’d never actually heard Lotor sound panicked before and it immediately made him sit up straight. 

 

”I’ve been in my room all night, I’m not sure. I’ll go knock on his door. What’s wrong?” 

 

“He left last night, he hasn’t answered my calls, my texts- and I know he’s upset with me, but I’m starting to worry,” Lotor said, sounding out of breath. 

 

“Why would he be upset with you?” Shiro shoved his feet into a pair of slippers to walk down the hallway to room 112. He knocked and tried the handle, finding it unlocked, Shiro dared to peek inside, but the room was empty. Lance wasn’t home. “He’s not here.” 

 

“Fuck- I have no idea where he’d go. Do you have any idea where he’d go?” 

 

“No, the only place he goes is the frat house and here. He wasn’t with you last night?” 

 

“No. I don’t know where he is and I’m worried he did something stupid… He found out last night he wasn’t getting a bid to Gamma Epsilon.” 

 

Shiro's heart sank. Gamma Epsilon meant everything to Lance and if he’d found out that he was getting in, Lotor had a right to worry. Walking back to his room, Shiro grabbed his coat and keys. “I’ll help you look,” he said. 

 

“Thank you, Shiro. Meet by the library.” 

 

Keith was stirring on the bed when Shiro hung up the phone. “Shiro?” 

 

“Hey, I have to go run out for a bit, um, Lance is missing. Do you have any idea where he’d go if he was upset?” Shiro asked, feeling a bit panicked himself.  _ You don’t know him well enough and it’s your fault _ . 

 

“Lance is missing?” Keith asked slowly, rubbing his eyes. 

 

“Yes. Is there anywhere he’d go that you know of? He’s not with Lotor,” Shiro explained. He knew Keith was just waking up and wasn’t probably processing up to speed. 

 

“Did you check with Hunk and Pidge?” Keith asked after a moment. “I’ll help you look.” 

 

“No, stay here, in case he comes back, okay?” Shiro kissed Keith on the cheek. “I’ll be back.” 

 

“Mkay.” Keith slowly settled back down under the blankets, while Shiro left his room to go search for Lance. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

“I don’t understand where he’d go,” Lotor said as they walked across campus. “What if he’s hurt?” 

 

The idea that Lance could be hurt or worse made Lotor's skin crawl and his heart sink. He’d never cared about someone the way he cared about Lance – he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. He thought of his father being there the night before and how he’d looked at Lance in a way that made Lotor uncomfortable. The idea made his skin crawl. 

 

“He’s fine,” Shiro said, sounding so sure and certain. It made Lotor want to punch him in the back of the head. “I know he’s fine. Lance is dramatic, he does everything to the extreme.”

 

“I know he is,” Lotor said hotly. “I  _ know _ how he is, but you weren’t there last night, Shiro. You didn’t see his face. And my father-.” 

 

“Your father?” 

 

Lotor froze, realizing he’d already brought up too much. “Nothing. I just- I don’t know where he’d go. I’m running out of ideas.” 

 

“Have you checked the Battelle building?” 

 

“No,” Lotor said, feeling stupid. Of course, Lance was probably holed up in a practice room, dancing his ass off to distract himself from the pain of not getting into Gamma Epsilon. “I’m fucking stupid, of course he’s probably there.” 

 

Changing directions, they headed off for the theater and dance building, hurrying inside. It was quiet for a Sunday morning, but Lotor rushed down the hall of each private practice room, finding each one emptier and emptier. It made his stomach clench, until he finally yanked open the last door. “Lance-.” 

 

Lance was mid jump when Lotor threw the door open, startling the poor boy into losing momentum and tripping versus landing, falling quickly to his face. “What the fuck?!” 

 

Relief flooded every one of Kotor's limbs as he crossed the room to help Lance stand up, yanking him into an embrace. “Don’t you  _ ever _ do that to me again.” 

 

“Hey- get off- get  _ off _ -.” Lance shoved him back, giving them both dark looks. “What the fuck are you doing?” 

 

“Lance, we were worried about you,” Shiro explained. “You were ignoring everyone’s texts and calls.” 

 

“Yeah, it’s called  _ caller ID _ ,” Lance spat nastily. “Maybe I didn’t want to fucking talk, ever think of that?” 

 

“Lance, I knew you were upset,” Lotor said quietly. “I was  _ worried _ about you after last night. Then you were ignoring me, I- I was just worried.” He withdrew from Lance’s personal space, wondering if this was truly it for their relationship. 

 

“Whatever,” Lance snapped. “Can I go back to dancing, please? I have a recital to rehearse for.” 

 

“Yes, of course.” Lotor's shoulders slumped and he slowly turned and walked away, head down, feeling a dark cloud follow him out of the practice room. Everything was colder when Lance was mad at him and he felt tired and like he needed to lie down for the next fifty years. A giftcard to Sephora wasn’t going to make this better. 

 

“Lotor?” Shiro asked after they left the building. “You want to talk about it?” 

 

“No,” he said icily. “Leave me alone, Shiro.” He left Shiro on the sidewalk, heading toward Gamma Epsilon. He needed a drink. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'd like to say I'm sorry for taking so long to update, my mental health has been on the decline and I have a lot going on in my personal life right now. 
> 
> Secondly, this chapter has a TW of implied sexual assault/rape, I don't go into extreme extreme details but there is a rape scene, please be aware of that. If you guys think I should tag the full story as Rape/Non-Con, I will, but for now I"m just going to add a tag as "rape" or implied rape, as I'm not sure the scene warrants the full Archive Warning
> 
> All mistakes are mine please keep that in mind, sorry I suck.

Keith tapped along to his music while sitting cross legged in a booth at the library. He’d only come to the library so he could write a paper on one of the computers, but they were all taken, and now he was too busy making a pro/con list on which fraternity to say yes to or maybe he would throw the towel in and not pledge for either one. The decision was too fucking hard. 

 

On one hand, he had Alpha Omega which was Shiro's fraternity. They were great people and Lance was probably going to pledge with them, so he at least wouldn't be the only freshman pledge. They did a lot of work in the community and were always eager during campus events. Maybe they weren’t as  _ renowned _ as Gamma Epsilon, but Keith knew they were  _ good _ . 

 

On the other hand, there was Gamma Epsilon in all of its shining glory. They were nationally recognized, they raised more money for the campus than any other fraternity, and they were the most popular fraternity on campus. He’d had his reservations about it going in, but he’d had gotten to know Lotor on a deeper level than he’d ever thought he would, which only putting more pros on the Gamma Epsilon list. 

 

As Keith went through the list, he stared at it and realized it was woefully out balanced. 

 

Gamma Epsilon won by a landslide. 

 

“Why do  _ you _ look so sad?” 

 

He looked up, surprised to see Lance standing at the little booth he had claimed for his own. “Lance,” he said, tempted to hide the lists, but it wasn’t as if Lance didn’t know. “I’m not sad, I just… Don’t want to disappoint anyone,” he said. 

 

“With what?” Lance asked as he sat down on the opposite side, shoving his bag into the corner up against the window. 

 

“Picking a place to pledge to,” Keith said slowly.

 

“Gamma Epsilon, duh,” Lance said with a roll of his blue eyes. It happened so fast, he almost missed the gesture entirely. “It’s no fucking contest, you’d be a moron to turn them down.” 

 

“I know.” Keith’s shoulders slumped as he sighed, letting Lance look over the last. “They won anyway.” 

 

Lance looked at the list and Keith felt his face turn red when he remembered he’d written Shiro's name with a ton of questions marks on Alpha Omega’s side. He’d also put Lance’s name there, too. “You’re worried you’d disappoint Shiro,” Lance said, pushing the list back to the middle of the table. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“You won’t. You know he won’t care,” Lance said. “Why am I on there?” 

 

“I don’t want you to  _ hate  _ me for joining the fraternity you wanted to,” Keith replied. “I know how much it meant to you Lance, and I know we’re not like… friends or anything, but I’d hate for us to be really pissed at each other for the rest of the year.” 

 

“Aren’t  you already pissed at me though? If anyone hates anyone, you probably hate me” Lance asked then. His face dropped and he looked down at the table as if he were suddenly very interested in the grain quality of the wood. 

 

So, the time had finally come; the time when he and Lance needed to  _ talk _ about Lance’s stunt. If he were honest, Keith didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew they had to, since it was the giant elephant in the room. It would only get worse if they didn’t. 

 

“I don’t hate you,” Keith said slowly. “I’m mad at you, yeah, but I don’t hate you.” 

 

“You should,” Lance said quietly. “I do.” 

 

“Lance-.” 

 

“I hate me for what I did to you,” Lance said in a hurry. “I not only ruined my chances of…” He cut off and Keith saw him struggle with his emotions. “But I also hurt you and I never should have told someone when you explicitly asked me not to. Even to Lotor. Especially to Lotor.” 

 

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Keith agreed. “What you did was really shitty.” 

 

“I know. I deserve worse than what I got.” Lance turned sad eyes to the window, looking down on the students milling about the crosswalk and going to and from classes. “I never deserved to be in Gamma Epsilon if that’s how I was going to act.” 

 

“I know this is killing you, Lance,” Keith said quietly. “If it’s any consolation, I asked him to not take your bid away. I begged him, even. I knew how much it meant to you.” 

 

Lance’s shoulders twitched as if he were wincing. “Great. You don’t hate me  _ and _ you tried to help me despite what I did to you. Fuck, I really am an awful person.” 

 

“Lance, you don’t need to beat yourself up like this,” Keith said quietly. “Have you talked to Lotor?” 

 

“I don’t want to... I can’t. I can’t even  _ look _ at him,” Lance said sadly. “I really liked him, and I’m not even mad at him for doing what he did, I just… I can’t.”

 

Keith could see Lance was hurting and it was sad to see him in so much pain. Someone so bubbly and happy all the time didn’t deserve to hurt like this. “I wish I could change his mind,” Keith said. “But Alpha Omega is a good place, I think you’ll fit in there perfectly.”

 

“Yeah,” Lance replied, his voice flat. “I should go. I have homework to do.” 

 

“Lance?” 

 

“What?” 

 

“If you need anything, just ask.” Keith gave Lance a small smile that was only for him, but Lance’s face didn’t change as he walked away sadly. Keith sighed, running his hand through his hair, his eyes turning back to the list.  

 

Gamma Epsilon. 

 

It was no contest in the end. 

  
  
  


* * *

 

 

 

He’d told Keith he was going to do homework, but what he really did was go back to their room and lie in bed under as many blankets as he owned and feel numb and empty. His phone buzzed a few times and Lance glanced at the text messages send to his phone. They were both from Lotor. 

 

→  _ i really want to talk to you Lance  _

→  _ it’s only been one day and I can’t even go another hour without seeing you, please?  _

 

Lance blushed at the messages and sighed. Lotor missed him and  _ God _ he missed Lotor, too. Kicking the blankets to the floor, Lance dropped from the top bunk and grabbed his winter boots and parka, heading out into the snowy cold to walk to Gamma Epsilon. 

 

←  **i’m coming**

 

Campus was covered in a snowy white powder and the roads were wet with melting snow while cars drifted by and students walked to and from classes. Gamma Epsilon’s house stood tall and proud, a beautiful wreath on every window and front door. It was elegant versus tacky which Lance liked, even if he thought they could use something tacky like a light up penguin on the front lawn. 

 

Lotor was standing on the porch, in nothing except a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants, he had a cigarette to his lips. Lance frowned as he approached the porch, snatching it right out of his mouth and tossing it in the snow. 

 

“Hey!” Lotor snapped as Lance stole the cigarette from him. “What the fuck, Lance?” 

 

“Gross,” Lance said. 

 

“I’m stressed.” 

 

“I’m not making out with an ashtray,” Lance spat back, folding his arms over his chest as he pouted a little. 

 

Lotor's face changed then, going from angry mask to curious and maybe even hopeful. “You’re not going to make out with an ashtray,” he repeated slowly. 

 

“That’s right.” He looked away, feeling his pride throb with an angry wound. He hated admitting how much he wanted to be with Lotor still, even if it was killing him a bit. 

 

“Does that mean you  _ want _ to stay together?” Lotor asked slowly, taking a step closer to him. His long hair hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail, strands fell around his face, and Lance wondered if he’d slept at all. He needed some concealer, stat. 

 

“I… guess,” Lance said. “I miss you, too.” 

 

Lotor had a moment of looking relieved as he stepped closer and pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek. “I know you’re upset, but I want to do what I can to make you feel better. Shiro told me you had a bid for Alpha Omega… They’re a good fraternity and I think you’ll make an excellent addition to them if you agree to pledge there.” 

 

Lance sniffed once and fought back tears, still not looking at Lotor directly. “I just feel really shitty.” 

 

“I know.” 

 

“I hate myself.” 

 

“Don’t hate yourself, Lance.” Lotor gently led him inside the house where it was warm, going upstairs with him. 

 

Lance followed Lotor upstairs to his room, taking his coat off once they were inside, setting it on Lotor's desk. He noted an empty bottle of wine sitting on the nightstand, which immediately reminded him of the first time they’d spent cuddling together. Lotor had been very depressed then and Lance wondered if he’d cause Lotor to drink again. 

 

“That because of me?” Lance asked, pointing to the bottle.

 

Lotor had the grace to blush as he grabbed it and tossed it in the wastebasket. “I’m sorry.” 

 

“You have to stop drinking.” Lance folded his arms over his chest again. “I don’t like it when you do that.”

 

“You drink,” Lotor argued but there wasn’t any heat in it. He just sat on the bed, looking at Lance quietly. 

 

“I just… I mean, I don’t like it when you drink like  _ that _ .” Lance gestured at the trashcan. “Like you did when we first met.” 

 

Lotor glanced down, long white eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. “I know. I don’t like that either.” 

 

They were quiet for a bit afterward before Lance finally sighed and said, “Are you horny? Because I am.” 

 

Lotor chuckled. “I always desire you, if that’s what you’re asking me.” 

 

“Good, because I  _ really _ want to cum right now.” 

 

Lotor patted the bed. “Come here, little one.” 

 

Lance blushed at the term of endearment  -  _ little one _ \- it always made him feel small but protected, like nothing bad would happen to him if Lotor were around. He crossed over to sit beside Lotor, leaning against him, wanting to be touched and kissed. “Kiss me,” he whispered, leaning forward until they were just a breath away. 

 

Lotor finished the act, leaning forward until their lips brushed together in the softest and lightest kiss Lance had ever had. They stayed for a moment like that, just softly kissing, until the hunger took over and they both clawed each other’s clothes and Lance was soon straddling Lotor's lap. Their kisses turned ravenous, as if they’d spent months apart rather than only a day. 

 

Lance didn’t remember his clothes being removed, but he realized he was down to his underwear and Lotor's fingers were dancing along the panties, teasing his clit over them. He moaned at the soft touches of Lotor's fingers, rolling his hips toward them eagerly. “Why was your dad here before?” Lance asked, as Lotor pushed his panties aside to touch him skin to skin. 

 

“What?” Lotor asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

 

“Your dad, why was he here? The other night-  _ oh _ .” Lance moaned when Lotor really put pressure on his clit as he rubbed. 

 

“He’s an asshole who thinks he can come here whenever he wants,” Lotor replied darkly. “He was kicked out of the fraternity a few years ago but he still thinks he owns the place.” 

 

Lance frowned as he panted and sighed, thinking back to how he’d been walking back the other night. 

  
  


_ The silver Lexus that Zarkon had gotten into pulled up beside him as he made his way through the snow. It was dark and cold and he paused when the window rolled down.  _

 

_ “You want a ride?” Zark had asked with a charming but chilling smile. “It’s cold out here.” _ __   
_   
_ __ “Um… No, I can make it. I’m not that far,” Lance had replied nervously, still trying to walk, even as the Lexus paced him. 

 

_ “You sure? I’d hate for a pretty thing like you to freeze out by yourself.”  _

 

_ Lance felt a cold chill run down his spine and he replied quickly that he was sure and hurried to the crosswalk so he could get back to his dorm and away from the road.  _

  
  


“Lance?” Lotor asked, drawing him back to the situation. “What’s wrong?” 

 

“Nothing,” Lance said quickly. “Sorry.” 

 

Lotor paused where he’d been touching Lance, his fingers stilling. “Talk to me.”

 

“It’s just something happened the other night…” Lance ran his hands through his hair. 

 

“Where?” Lotor asked, suddenly very concerned. 

 

“I’m fine. It’s not like it was bad, just  _ weird _ ,” Lance said. He watched Lotor relax before carrying on. “Your dad, he like… followed me the other night when I was walking back to my dorm. Offered me a ride. It seeme d weird.”

 

Lotor's eyebrows knitted together and then his skin slowly began to lose color. “He didn’t hurt you did he?”

 

“No? Just kinda freaked me out. Wow, you look pale.”

 

“I’m fine,” Lotor said, but Lance didn’t believe him. Not even a little. “Tell me if he bothers you again. Okay?”

 

“Okay…” Lance frowned, suddenly no longer in the mood. He slid off of Lotor's lap and sat next to him on the bed. “I don’t feel horny anymore.”

 

“Good. Me either.” Lotor ran his hands along his neck nervously. “You want something to eat?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Okay.” 

 

Lance watched Lotor get up and leave the room, probably going to see what they had downstairs. The room felt colder than it had before and he was quick to redress. He could only wonder why Lotor seemed lost when mentioning his father. 

 

He’d have to find out. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

 

“So, Gamma Epsilon, huh?” Shiro teased while Keith sat on his bed, clearly in distress. 

 

“Shiro, I told you this was a hard decision and I didn’t come to it lightly-.” 

 

“I was teasing you.” 

 

Keith sighed, falling back on the bed. “Stop that.” He turned his eyes to Shiro and smiled a little at him regardless. Now that they were  _ together _ , he felt better about himself and about where his life was headed. Even his decision about Gamma Epsilon felt  _ right _ . “Have you heard from Lance?” 

 

“Yeah, he’s holed up with Lotor I think,” Shiro said with a chuckle. “They made up.” 

 

“Oh. Good.”  _ Thank God _ , Keith thought briefly as he leaned in closer to Shiro. He never  _ asked _ to cuddle, but he was a cat when it came to affection. He wanted it often, but on his own terms. “That’s good.” 

 

“Yeah,” Shiro agreed as he began to wrap his arm around Keith casually.

 

They were quiet for awhile, but Keith didn’t mind. He liked doing nothing with Shiro, just enjoying his company. “I… think I asked you about winter break already, but are you going home?” 

 

“Sort of,” Shiro said. “I have a place I rent with Lotor during winter and summer breaks, we’ll be going there. I think at least, I’m not sure if he has plans with Lance.  _ I’ll _ be going there. It’s not a very far drive, about an hour.” 

 

Keith nodded slightly, not wanting to admit he didn’t have a car, so he wouldn’t be able to just drive up and see Shiro whenever he wanted over break. He was stuck on campus in the dorm alone for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It didn’t used to bother him, but now that he  _ had _ someone in his life, it bothered him they’d be apart for so long. “No family to go home to?” 

 

“Not really,” Shiro replied with a shrug. “What about you? What are you doing for break?” 

 

“Uh… Nothing,” Keith said with a  shrug. 

 

“Nothing? Don’t you have somewhere to go? I know Lance is heading down to Cuba.” Shiro looked at him, seeming concerned and worried. 

 

“I don’t have family,” Keith said with an embarrassed shrug. “I’m on my own, Shiro… I… don’t really have anywhere to go.” 

 

Shiro paused and then sat up on his elbow so they could look each other in the face. “You have no plans for break and nowhere to go, right?” 

 

“Right…” 

 

“Do you want to come with me to my place?” Shiro asked. “I’m sure Lotor wouldn’t mind.” 

 

_ Yes _ , Keith thought immediately but he didn’t jump on the answer despite wanting to immediately agree. He  _ definitely _ wanted to go, but he didn't want to seem desperate, and he also didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. “I mean, are you sure?”

 

“I’ll ask him,” Shiro said as he reached for his phone. “I’m positive he’ll be fine with you coming over.” 

 

Keith nodded, trying not to get his hopes up. If he couldn't stay with Shiro, his break was going to be a long, lonely six weeks. “I don’t want to put anyone out…” 

 

“Nonsense.” Shiro typed away on his phone, lying back down to wait. 

 

Keith laid down beside him, his hand trailing along Shiro's sweatpants, fingers playing with the drawstring. Lance would have pulled them off and went to town without a second thought, but Keith wasn’t sure Shiro was okay with that sort of initiative. He also wasn’t sure how much he wanted to just jump on Shiro's dick all the time without permission. 

 

“Shiro…” Keith said slowly. 

 

“Hm?” 

 

“Do you want a blowjob?” 

 

There was a pause where Shiro seemed to purposefully stare at his phone, but he could see the struggle on his face, as if he were fighting the urge to scream affirmation. Keith knew Shiro hated seeming like a typical college frat boy pig. “Are you- offering?” 

 

Keith nodded. “Yeah.” 

 

“....I mean, I won’t  _ stop _ you…” 

 

Keith smirked and took that as a yes, pulling Shiro's sweatpants down to reveal his flaccid cock; even soft, Shiro was fucking huge, but he’d come to like Shiro's large size, even if he still doubted whether he would  _ fit _ anywhere. Maybe not even his mouth… but he was going to find out. 

 

“Keith, don’t rush it,” Shiro said, as if he already knew Keith’s thought process. 

 

He blushed a little before bending his head down to run his tongue along Shiro’s flaccid length. He liked his cock when it was soft, it was almost cute, but the touch was like turning on a switch. Shiro’s cock began to harden and Keith watched as it took its time, still running slow licks along the length as it became more and more erect. His eyes flitted up Shiro’s body, falling to where Shiro was lying with his head back, his phone still loosely in his hand, but it was clearly forgotten. 

 

Keith liked that in a few licks he could have Shiro so turned on. 

 

“ _ Keith _ ,” Shiro sighed, his legs spreading to give Keith  more room. 

 

_ Oh fuck _ , he thought as he heard Shiro say his name.  _ Moan _ his name. The desperate sound Shiro made after caused a rush of heat to go between his thighs and Keith knew he was soaking his underwear. The scent of omega filled the room soon after and Keith moaned in turn, slowly fitting his mouth around the head of Shiro's length. He was thick  _ and _ long, so trying to get him all in was a serious jaw workout. 

 

“Ease up,” Shiro whispered. “Don’t want you to- to  _ choke _ .” Shiro grunted, digging his nails into the bed, his phone slipping from his fingers and falling onto the mattress. 

 

Cock still filling his mouth to capacity, Keith pulled back, only working the tip with his tongue and occasionally his teeth, being gentle and rough with the same intention. Listening to Shiro pant and moan was driving Keith over the edge. His body began to heat up and he felt his clothes stick to his skin as he started to sweat. It wasn’t until he was ready to beg for Shiro’s Knot that he realized he was fucking going into Heat. 

 

“Smell good,” Shiro panted, his eyes dark with arousal as he started to sit up on his elbows. 

 

Keith pulled away from Shiro, starting to strip out of his clothing. He was burning up and his pussy ached and he knew he was literally dripping slick. It was down to his thighs when he managed to peel the boxers off. 

 

“Fuck,” Shiro gasped. “Are you in  _ Heat _ ?” 

 

He nodded, unable to speak, climbing on top of Shiro to kiss him desperately. He hadn’t had a Heat in so long it hurt; his entire body hurt and ached and he was sweating so badly he wasn’t sure if it was sexy or disgusting. But he did know that he could take Shiro’s cock now without a problem. “Shiro,” he whimpered. “Fuck me.” 

 

Shiro reached a hand down to stroke his cock a few times, slowly pressing it against Keith’s entrance, moving slow and careful just in case. The pressure made Keith moan and he rocked his hips back onto him, until the Alpha was seated inside him completely. His thighs trembled with the stretch and burn, but that didn’t stop him from starting to bounce and ride as if he would never get to do this again. 

 

“Keith- baby- slow down,” Shiro panted, his hands on Keith’s hips to try and control his movements. 

 

“Can’t,” Keith gasped, rocking his hips faster. It was slippery and awkward, more than once he had to reach down and slip Shiro back inside, but it was more of a primal need than what he wanted. Shiro quit protesting, instead growing more and more aroused by Keith’s Heat, their scents making the room feel tight and hot. 

 

“My Omega,” Shiro growled as he sat up, grabbing Keith’s hips to start fucking him hard and fast, bouncing him on his cock. The bed squeaked and moaned, but they didn’t stop or slow down. “Mine.” 

 

Keith grabbed Shiro’s shoulders, letting Shiro balance him on his dick. The slick was so thick it was leaving a wet mess all over the bed, which Keith knew in the back of his mind he would regret later, but in the moment he could only think of getting his Alpha’s Knot. 

 

His Alpha. 

  
_ His Alpha _ . 

 

“Shiro, Shiro, faster,” Keith whimpered, which Shiro happily obliged, switching positions so Shiro was on top and he could fuck Keith as hard and fast as Keith needed. 

 

“Like that, baby?” Shiro asked, pinning Keith to the bed, holding his thighs wide open. “You’re so  _ wet _ .” 

 

Keith moaned helplessly, his eyes going down to where Shiro fucked him open. There was a heat building in his pelvis and he slipped his fingers down to rub his clit to guide it along. The world fell away and he could only focus on the intense pleasure building in his body; his moans grew louder, more primal and needy, and he stopped even thinking about Shiro. He just wanted to come. 

 

“Fuck,” Shiro grunted. “You’re gonna come- fuck-.” 

 

Keith cried out loudly when he did come, pussy squeezing Shiro’s cock so hard he pushed him halfway out. A few more thrusts had Shiro back inside and he felt the Alpha’s Knot swell, until they were locked together and his eyes flew open in shock. The pleasure of the orgasm faded and his Heat slowly began to fade with it, leaving Keith to stare in shock and horror that Shiro was  _ inside him _ and Knotted to him. THere was no ending it until Shiro finished. 

 

“Fuck- Keith- I’m sorry- I-  _ ah God it feels so good _ ,” Shiro whimpered, even as his face looked guilty. He held himself up on shaking arms and Keith panted under him, staring up with wide eyes. 

 

“You Knotted me,” Keith whispered. 

 

“Yeah,” Shiro said with a sheepish glance. “I didn’t mean to- I got carried away-.” 

 

“It’s okay,” Keith said quietly, pulling Shiro down for a kiss. “I’m not mad, I was just- shocked-... I just don’t want to.. You know…” 

 

“I know. I promise, we’ll clean you up really good after,” Shiro said, moaning again when he emptied another load in Keith. “Might...take a while, it’s been… I mean I’ve haven’t- you know- in a while…” 

 

Keith snorted and nodded, allowing Shiro to arrange them so they could rest together and not be uncomfortable. “Shiro?” he asked once they were both settled. 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“When was the last time you Knotted someone?” He didn’t know what had possessed him to ask such a personal question, but he needed to  _ know _ . Had Shiro been with another omega or was he the first? 

 

“Uh- wow- uh… That’s personal,” Shiro said with an embarrassed laugh. “Um-... Why do you want to know?” 

 

“I don't know,” Keith admitted with a blush. “You don’t have to answer, I’m sorry that wasn’t fair to ask when you can’t even get away.” 

 

“The last person I had sex with was Lotor,” Shiro said then, his face bright red and his voice a bit hardened. “So… there’s that.” 

 

“I knew about that,” Keith said, looking back at him over his shoulder. “Lotor told me about the two of you together.” 

  
Shiro rolled his eyes a little and puffed some air up at the tuft of floofy hair he had in his face. “Of course he did… Anyway, he's the last person I had sex with, if that’s what you were asking me. I don’t really think it’s your business if I Knotted him.” 

 

The room grew quiet after and Keith wondered if he’d completely slaughtered the mood. His answer seemed to come when Shiro's Knot slowly loosened and he was able to pull free, leaving Keith to slowly sit up and look at the mess on the bed. The sheets were ruined, there was no washing to make them clean again. 

 

“Shiro…” he said with uncertainty as Shiro was easing out of the bed to grab his pants and a shirt. 

 

“I need to shower,” Shiro replied shortly. 

 

Keith flinched and nodded, not sure if he would even be able to walk, his legs felt tired. “Shiro, I’m sorry I asked something so personal- I just- I just wanted to know if I was the only omega…” 

 

“Keith,” Shiro snapped, turning to face him. “I’m not seeing anyone but you.”    
  


“I  _ know _ ! I wasn’t accusing you of being with someone else- I was just curious. I mean, shouldn’t I have a right to know about your sex life when I just let you shove your cock in my fucking cunt?” Keith asked, feeling just as annoyed as Shiro. 

 

The entire mood was extremely dead and he had a feeling it wouldn't be back for a while. Why was Shiro so offended, nothing made sense. 

 

Shiro visibly bristled before leaving to go the shower. Keith groaned, flopping back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in annoyance. He had no idea why Shiro was taking everything so personally, but Keith remained on the bed until Shiro returned, which felt like an eternity later. 

 

“Keith…” Shiro said when he came back into the room, sounding as if he were ready to apologize. 

 

Keith folded his arms across his chest and looked away, not bothering to look Shiro in the eye. If Shiro wanted to be an asshole, fine, but he wasn’t going to just wiggle his way back in without a fight. 

 

“Keith, I'm sorry- I was a jerk earlier,” Shiro said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I had no right to act like that, you were just asking a question. I get defensive about- private stuff like that. I’m sorry.” 

 

“Why? Are you secretly a nympho?” he spat, the words coming out meaner than he intended. The blush on Shiro’s face made Keith wonder if he was right, however. 

 

“No, I’m not… I just- I actually don’t have a lot of experience with omegas,” he admitted slowly. “You’re my first omega I’ve taken to bed. People expect me to be this big, manly, experienced Alpha and I'm just not.” 

 

That was a surprise. Keith blinked and finally looked toward Shiro, completely shocked. “Oh.” 

 

“Yeah… I just… I don’t talk about it, so people don’t have to think of me as less, I guess.” He shrugged, walking over with a towel to clean Keith up gently. “I shouldn’t have left you in here all nasty, that was rude. I’m sorry. I’ll help you get cleaned up.” 

 

The fact that Shiro didn’t have a ton of sexual experience was extremely relieving. He didn’t have to live up to some fantasy dream like Lance and he knew Shiro wouldn’t mind him not wanting to be like the omegas in the porn industry. They could discover what they liked together and the could just… be Keith. It was comforting. 

 

“Shiro,” Keith said quietly, letting Shiro clean him up. “I’m glad you told me and i'm glad you’re not super experienced in this field, because it makes it less intimidating.” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Shiro sighed in relief, bending down to kiss him. “You forgive me for being a butt?” 

 

Keith laughed, ruffing Shiro's wet hair. “Yeah. I forgive you. Now help me up, my legs are jello.” 

 

 

* * *

  
  
  


“I don’t know what to wear,” Lance lamented. 

 

Most of his clothes were strewn around the room, lying on the desk, the floor, and hanging over the closet door. Keith dared to pick up an extremely sparkly…  _ something _ . Too small to be a dress, but Keith wasn’t all that sure it was a top either. 

 

“Hot date?” Keith guessed, dropping the gold shirt-dress-thing back onto the floor. He’d just returned from working out with Shiro at the gym to find Lance attacking the doorway with Chanel No. 5 and too many Forever 21 products. 

 

“No, it’s pledge night at Alpha Omega,” Lance explained. “Sorry for the mess.” 

 

Good, Lance was pledging after all. He slowly began to pick through Lance’s collection of skimpy outfits, looking for something appropriate. “I’m glad you decided to pledge,” he remarked. 

 

Lance picked up a white shirt and held it up to the mirror hanging on the back of the closet door. “Me, too… Keith?” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“I really am sorry. For everything.” 

 

Keith nodded as he picked up a cobalt blue dress shirt. “I know. I forgive you, Lance… I mean, I’m still a little sore, but I don’t want to be angry anymore.” 

 

Lance took the shirt Keith was holding. “This and my black and white striped pants. What do you think?” 

 

“I think you’ll knock ‘em dead.” 

 

That made Lance smile. It was actually nice to see him smile, after all of the days he had been so upset. “When do you pledge?” 

 

“Tomorrow.” 

 

“And what are  _ you _ wearing?” 

 

Keith shrugged. If he were honest, he’d admit he was going to wear the usual black jeans, black t-shirt, and boots. It wasn’t as if he had money to spring for something new. The only reason he was even at Garrison University was due to a full ride, but he never had money for anything extra; no clothes, no snacks, no personal items. Work study money went toward school supplies and essentials. 

 

“Keith, are you wearing what you always wear?” Lance walked over to Keith’s closet and pulled it open. The horrified gasp that followed probably would have sounded fake to someone who didn’t know Lance. By comparison, Keith’s closet was pathetically bare, which from the look on Lance’s face he’d just found that out. 

 

“I know it’s empty.” 

 

Lance slowly turned, face frozen in a mask of horror. “ _ Empty _ ? Empty- It’s like you were  _ robbed _ ! How many jeans do you own?!” 

 

The question made him blush and feel put on the spot. “Three..” 

 

“Shirts?” 

 

“Including the ones I wear to bed, maybe ten…” He paused to count on his fingers. “Sounds right.” 

 

“Dress shirts?” 

 

Keith deflated and stared at his toes in shame. “Can we talk about something else, please?” He didn’t like being put on blast like this. 

 

Lance squared his shoulders then as if he’d made a decision. “Let’s go,” he said as he walked across the room to grab his keys. 

 

“What? Lance-.” 

 

“I’m taking you shopping. You need something nice to wear to your pledge night. If you say no, I’ll just come back with something  _ I think _ you’ll like.” 

 

That was a terrifying thought. Lance knew how to put an outfit together, but Keith didn’t want to end up in anything with sequins, leather, lace, or holes. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?” he asked wiht a sigh. “Fine, but I don’t want to be out  _ all _ day.” 

 

“ _ Duh _ ,” Lance said with a roll of his eyes. “I need at least three hours to get ready.” 

 

“Three- nevermind. Let’s just go.” He had to quit questioning Lance’s obsession with perfection. 

 

Lance grabbed his bag and they walked out together to the parking lot behind the building. It always surprised Keith when he saw Lance driving his large black Land Rover. He was tall enough for it, sure, but he’d always pictured Lance as a small Prius kind of guy. 

 

“Getting in?” Lance asked. 

 

Keith blinked, realizing he was just standing and not actually doing anything. “Sorry,” he said quickly as he slid into the passenger's seat. “Why is you own something so… huge?” 

 

“The car?” Lance asked with a laugh. “My Mom got it for me. She thought it would keep me safe in the winter time. I actually have a BMW at home in Florida…. God, I miss Ol’Blue.” 

 

Keith looked around at the fancy inside of the car, surprised by how tidy it was, considering Lance’s penchat to be a slob at home. The heat kicked on after they sat there for a moment, hooking up his phone to the Bluetooth inside the car. It was like being in a damn spaceship n Keith’s opinion. 

 

“To the mall!” Lance exclaimed as they drove away. The music kicked on, blasting something in Spanish, which Lance was eager to sing along to, while Keith leaned against the door to watch the world go by. There were so many people out shopping, it amazed Keith a little as they drove, but he supposed everyone wanted to get their Christmas shopping over with before winter truly set in. 

 

“Are you traveling for break?” Lance asked suddenly while they sat at a red light. 

 

“No,” he said automatically out of habit before remembering Shiro’s invite. “Wait- Shiro invited me to his place with Lotor.” 

 

“ _ Oooooo _ ,” Lance chimed in with a smirk. 

 

“He has to ask Lotor first.” Keith picked at a small hole in his shirt; he really hoped Lotor didn’t mind. Spending the holidays with Shiro sounded so  _ good _ . 

 

“He won’t mind. I’m gonna miss him… I told Abuela I may come back after New Year’s early.” Lance turned into the mall’s parking garage, hunting for an open space. “I don’t know if I can go six weeks without seeing him at least once.” 

 

“Are you going home?” Keith asked. 

 

“Yeah. Well, not  _ home _ -home. My parents live in Florida, but my grandmother still lives in Cuba. 

_ La tierra madre _ , she calls it… She lives in Varadero. The beach there is  _ beautiful _ . She has lots of money, so we always go there for the holidays, me and my whole family. I have a huge family.” 

 

“Is it warm there?” Keith asked, and then felt stupid for asking. Cuba? Warm? That was like asking if water were wet. 

 

“ _ Oh _ yeah. None of this cold weather BS.” 

 

They were quick to hurry inside once they were parked, where once inside the doors, Lance led Keith to the nearest department store. There were so many things inside, it was almost startling, but they were hyperfocused on going to the clothing departments. 

 

“ _ Soooooo _ obviously, you like black, but are there any other colors you like?” Lance asked, as he began to dig  through a clearance rack. “Also for tops, do you wear a medium or a large? You’re so hard to read because you’ve got like massive shoulders, but you’re kinda small elsewhere.” 

 

“Uh- depends on the top,” Keith replied. “But generally, I do either…. I, um, wear red.” Keith looked through the racks with uncertainty. He wasn’t even sure what he liked. He’d never had a chance to express himself through his clothes like other kids his age. 

 

“Red? That’d be a good color for you, since you’re all dark and moody.” Lance picked up a decent black and red plaid - he thought it was plaid, but he wasn’t sure - button up shirt. 

 

“Uh, plaid?” Keith asked as he slowly held it up to himself. 

 

“Buffalo plaid,” Lance explained. “I think it’d look good on you.” 

 

Keith looked the shirt over and he could tell that even though the shirt was on clearance, it was better well made than all of his other shirts combined. 

 

“ _ And _ it’s like a kazillion percent off,” Lance said, pointing to the price tag. 

 

The original price stated $69.95, which made his heart almost stop in his chest. Almost seventy dollars for a  _ shirt _ ? Who spent that kind of money on a plaid shirt? Who  _ had _ that kind of money to spend on a plaid shirt? The red sticker, however, said the new price was $17.95, but even at that price, it was out of Keith’s budget, so he put the shirt back sadly. 

 

“Do you not like it?” Lance asked. “You can wear your other shirts under it, see?” He pointed out how it was a button up, as if Keith didn’t have eyes or he lacked natural perception. 

 

“I can’t…” Keith cut off, frustrated and embarrassed. Talking about his personal problems was hard, especially with Lance, since they weren’t  _ that _ close. 

 

“Can’t what?” 

 

He turned away, arms crossed over his chest. “I can’t afford it, okay?!” 

 

“ _ Oh _ . Well, I was going to buy it for you anyway. Consider it a Christmas gift.” 

 

Christmas gifts. He’d never received a Christmas gift before, not with being in and out of shitty foster homes his entire life or living in group, government sanctioned homes when no one else wanted him. “I can’t pay you back,” he said quietly. 

 

“It’s a gift, not a loan. I don’t expect you to pay me back.” Lance turned to look at jeans and pants. “You need new jeans too, once that will fit your butt.” 

 

Keith attempted to twist and look at his own butt in the jeans he was currently wearing. “What butt?” 

 

“Exactly,” Lance said with a snort. “You have an ass, a huge bubble butt, but you don’t show it off, which is a shame. I bet Shiro would kill himself to see you in tightly fitted jeans.” 

 

“Shut up.” 

 

Lance laughed and found a pair of jeans that Keith was certain would not fit him, at least not comfortably. “Try these on.” 

 

“Lance, I won’t fit my anything into those,” he said, taking them anyway. “They’re too small.” 

 

“Try them on,” Lance insisted, already pushing him toward the fitting rooms. “Go. Go.” 

 

“ _ Fine _ . If I rip them, I’m going to blame you.”

 

“Just  _ try _ them on, you big baby.” 

 

Keith muttered under his breath as he entered a fitting room, almost tripping as he attempted to get out of his jeans and into the new ones. At first, he figured there was no way they would fit, but he was shocked to see they stretched and they ended up fitting so well, he had to take a second to adjust to how he was seeing his own reflection. He had thighs and an  _ ass _ ; Lance hadn’t been joking about the bubble butt. 

 

Turning every which way, Keith admired himself for the first time in his life, daring to throw the plaid shirt on over his t-shirt, too. The jeans weren’t black, but they weren’t an extremely light wash like Lance liked to wear, they were a fairly happy medium and looked nice with the plaid. Lifting the tail of the shirt up again, Keith glanced at his butt one more time. 

 

He had a really nice butt. 

 

“Keith! Come out here, now,” Lance groaned. “Stop being a whiny drama queen, let me see you.” 

 

“I haven’t even said anything!” Keith yelled back, but he opened the door anyway so Lance could make a judgement call. “I look ridiculous.” 

 

Lance gasped, his jaw on the floor and eyebrows in his hairline. “Holy  _ shit _ , you’ve thighs! And legs! And a butt! Oh my God, oh my God. I’m a genius. Shiro is going to  _ love _ me and probably thank me and beg me to pick your clothes out forever and ever.” 

 

Keith scoffed, but deep down he knew Lance was completely fucking right. He looked  _ good _ and he knew Shiro would probably appreciate the new clothes. “I guess I look okay,” he said, trying to downplay his excitement. 

 

“Bitch, you look like a million bucks. Now, imagine what I could do if you gave me like two hours, a credit card, and free reign.  _ Oh, _ you’d look so good!” Lance squealed and did a little spin. “But later, I have to get ready for tonight. C’mon, I’m buying you those and we can get out of here.” 

 

“Okay, Bossy,” Keith said, but he was thankful, deep,  _ deep _ down. 

 

“Fucking right.” 

 

Keith smiled and went back to change into his regular clothes, following Lance to the register. He didn’t like charity, in fact he hated it, but he knew saying no to Lance was completely impossible when he had his mind dead set on something. He’d just have to find a way to pay Lance back. 

 

“Thank you, Lance,” Keith said genuinely, when they began their journey back to the car. 

 

“You’re welcome. So, uh, let me know how Shiro likes it when he sees you, got it?” 

 

He snorted and laughed. “I will.” 

 

* * *

 

Pledge night for Gamma Epsilon took place in Iverson Hall on the first floor as it was the nicest building on campus and had a hall large enough to fit everyone comfortably. The ceremony had felt grand and over the top, but Keith was glad he’d gone instead of chickening out and no bothering to show up. They were now mingling and partying, some of the alumni had come to meet the new pledges, too, but Keith had managed to avoid nearly everyone by skipping off to the bathroom. 

 

In comparison to the well decorated hall, the first floor bathroom felt dark and cold with only one row of  dim lights working. The sinks all stood on the opposite side of the room like sentries, while a cracked mirror ran along behind them. The room was so quiet, Keith did his best to not make a sound as he entered the space. Being loud felt forbidden. 

 

The mirror revealed a boy with shaggy, black hair which was too long, longer than he usually kept it with bruises for eyes. He didn’t sleep enough and could probably benefit from a full week’s worth (or concealer, as Lance would say). Looking in the mirror was not something he did often; in fact, Keith tried to not look at himself, ever, since he wasn’t a fan of the tired look he sported most of the time. 

 

The door to the bathroom opened, drawing his gaze to see who had come to interrupt him. He’d expected a fellow pledge, but Coach Zarkon was the one who stepped inside. Seeing the Alpha made his gut fill with knots and he quickly stepped forward to turn on the sink and wash his hands. At first, Zarkon said nothing at all, until he came to the sink as well, turning it on. 

 

“Kogane,” he said. “Right?” 

 

“Yes, Sir.” 

 

“Ah, yes, I remember you. You were on the soccer team. The  _ omega _ .” Zarkon said the word omega with a strange inflection – as if he couldn’t decide if he hated omegas or wanted to eat one. The tone made Keith uncomfortable and he stayed on guard, edging toward the paper towel dispenser. 

 

“Yes, Sir.” 

 

“Enjoying your evening?” Zarkon asked, stepping too close to Keith’s space. “I’m not sure Lotor knows I’m here yet.” The man laughed, the sound too loud and cold for the dark space. “Probably won’t be happy to see me, but I always come and… check out the new recruits.” 

 

Keith wiped his hands dry and went to excuse himself, but Zarkon’s strong hand grabbed his arm and drew him back to the sink, pressing him up against it. Keith immediately flinched and attempted to break away, but Zarkon was bigger and stronger than him. “Stop it-,” he said, feeling panic fill his entire body. 

 

“I regret cutting you from the team, Kogane,” Zarkon said, his voice sick and sultry. “The boys could have used someone to  _ entertain  _ them.” 

 

“Let me go.” 

 

Zarkon chuckled and spun Keith around until he had to look at himself in the mirror again. “I know what you want, what  _ all _ of you omegas always want.” 

 

Hearing the man’s zipper come undone made Keith’s entire body freeze and go limp as Zarkon bent him over the sink. In the back of his mind, he screamed to fight and kick and yell so someone would hear him, but he knew the music out there was loud and likelihood of anyone actually hearing him yell for help was slim. 

 

“Going to give you what you want,” Zarkon whispered as he dragged his filthy nails down the ridges of Keith’s spine to his exposed rear. 

 

The pain that followed was a familiar pain, one that he’d experienced before, which was enough to send him to a place where he could forget it was even happening. His mind went to the first time he hung out with Shiro outside of classes, school work, and commitments. The night was hot and sticky, but they’d sat outside in the empty parking lot, looking up at the moon and stars on top of a ratty blanket Shiro owned. Classic rock quietly playing from Shiro's laptop while he pointed out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper to Keith. 

 

The night had been magical. 

 

It was the first night he realized how much he loved Shiro and how he wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. After the song had faded, Shiro had leaned back on his elbows and asked Keith if he wanted to stay a little longer even though it was late. He’d said yes, of course, and they’d stayed there, talking and getting to know one another, well into the night. It wasn’t until they saw the sun that they went back inside to sleep. 

 

The sound of the door closing drew Keith back to the situation; it was over and Zarkon had fled the bathroom, leaving him exposed and a mess. The pain radiating between his thighs made tears burn but he shoved them back down as he pulled his pants and underwear back into place. Stoic and tired, Keith walked out of the bathroom slowly, his fingers trailing along the wall, heading toward the front doors. 

 

Frigid air drew life back into his body and Keith shivered and cried as he walked toward the sidewalk. He needed to walk back to his dorm so he could pack his belongings and ready to travel with Shiro to his place. He needed to get away from the building and the reminder of what had just happened. He needed to stop fucking crying. 

 

“Keith, are you alright?” 

 

Keith blinked some tears away when he heard Lotor's concerned voice, not even realized he’d almost walked right past where Lotor was sitting and smoking a cigarette. “Fuck- I’m- I’m fine-,” he lied, trying to wipe his face clear of any emotion and tears. 

 

The cigarette fell from between Lotor's fingers to land on the ground where he crushed it into the snow with his heavy boot. “You’re not. What’s wrong? Did someone say something to you?” 

 

“No,” Keith whispered, shivering in the cold. He’d left his jacket inside in favor of leaving the building so he didn’t run into Zarkon all over again. “I’m fine. I just need to go back home.” 

 

Lotor's brows continued to knit together as he looked Keith over in real concern. “Keith… If something is wrong, you can talk to me. You’re a part of the fraternity now, we’re family.” 

 

“I have to  _ go _ .” Keith stepped around Lotor in an effort to start running toward his dorm. He didn’t stop until he made it inside and managed to make it to bathroom and showers, where he walked up to a toilet and threw up. 

 

Nothing ever changed and everything would always be the same. 


End file.
